Souls Entwined
by cmartist
Summary: Raziel gave his life to stop the elder god. Trapped in the Soul Reaver for all eternity, is this the price to be paid for redemption? Teen Titans, Legacy of Kain XOver. Chapter 25 is now up!
1. Prologue

Souls Intwined  
  
Disclaimer: Teen Titans and Legacy of Cain belong to their own respective creators. While the I love the teen titans show, I feel quite disturbed at the sheer number of BBxR fanfics out there. I don't hate the green dude, but I think Raven could do better. This is my first attempt at trying to match Raven with someone else (actually it's my first fic so please don't flame me too much).  
  
Enjoy.  
  
Note: This story takes place right after the 3rd installement of the Soul Reaver series. If you haven't finished or played the game and don't want to see a (possible) spoiler, don't read.  
  
You've been warned.  
  
More Notes:  
  
The first set of dialog came from the Legacy of Kain: Defiance game end sequence (with some additional stuff I decided to add).  
  
'' - thoughts  
  
- Telepathy  
  
Prologue  
  
"And I am not your enemy... not your destroyer..." gasped Raziel as his life force flowed into the Soul Reaver.  
  
"No, Raziel... this can't be the way..." Kaim pleaded as he attempted to free Raziel from his inevitable fate.  
  
"I am, as before, your right hand... your sword." Raziel's body grew fainter by the second as he struggled to stay consious. He looked at Kain one last time before he faded into nothingness.  
  
"And now you will see the true enemy..." With that, Raziel's body disappeared into the Reaver.  
  
Kain's eyes, now opened by the now purified energy of the Soul Reaver, saw the elder god in all its deformity. He lifted the Soul Reaver and prepared to finally put an end to the cursed circle.  
  
"So, little vampire." sneered the elder god. "So. I am revealed to you at last."  
  
"What in the hell..." Kain stood in shock at the sight before him. This was the god the ancient vampires had worshipped. The god which had played with their lives for so long. It had a thousand eyes scattered thoughout its 'body' if it could even be called that. Tendrils which seemed to run throughout the whole citadel in what seemed to be a deadly embrace covered the wall in front of him. Apart from the disturbing amount of eyes on the tendrils, a single huge eye stood out on what appeared to be its main body. One which seemed to stare right through into his soul.  
  
"I am the origin of life, the devourer of death. I am the hub of the Wheel, the purifying cycle to which all souls must be drawn. Do you really think you can stop me? I have lived for countless millennia. I have seen the rise and fall of of this world's races for generations. I am the alpha and the omega. You cannot hope to defeat me, much less touch me. You may ponder the futility of your ambitions as you spend a deathless eternity beneath a mountain of rubble. You and your Soul Reaver will go equally mad as the eons pass. The Citadel of the apostates will become your living tomb."  
  
"Then why do you seem to fear me now, 'god'? Could it be be because now I 'can' touch you?" said Kain. Kain strikes one of the Elder's tendrils with the Soul Reaver, cleaving it apart in a shower of green fluid. The Elder howls in pain, and bars his primary Eyestalk with several more tendrils. "For you would not fear us, unless we could truly do you harm." Kain cuts through the tendrils as he stalks towards the Elder's Eye.  
  
"NO! YOU ARE NOTHING!" roared the god. More tendrils rise as they attempt to stop the advancing Vampire lord from approaching any closer.  
  
"False God! This is the end- the final turn of your Wheel." With that, he charged forward, determined not to let Raziel's sacrifice be in vain.  
  
The pain was unbearable. The feeling of your soul being wrenched from your body inflicted a pain far worse than any ordinary death. 'As if I would even be allowed that luxury' mused Raziel. Having finally been stabbed by the Soul Reaver, he would forever be trapped within its blade, unable to feel, see, or even die. 'At last', he though, 'the prophecy has come to pass.' And with that last thought, he resigned himself to his fate.  
  
Yes. whispered a voice. This prophecy has come to pass, but your destiny has yet to be fulfilled.  
  
Raziel opened his 'eyes' and searched for the source of the voice. "Who are you?!" he cried. While true, he was trapped in the sword, his mind still allowed him the luxury of having a body as he looked all around the endless void that was the Soul Reaver.  
  
Do not be afraid, little one said the voice. Now noticeably louder and apparently female. My name is not important, though, as it has been changed many times thoughout the years. A faint outline of a woman dressed in white appeared in front of Raziel. Her long blonde hair flowing yet there was no wind. If it makes you feel any better, you may call me Selina. said the voice as she materialized fully.  
  
'Wind? Not in this hell, there isn't' thought Raziel, a slight chuckle rising to his throat.  
  
Yes, apparently there isn't. The woman giggled at Raziel's little comment.  
  
"You can read my thoughts?" asked Raziel. He became wary of this sudden intrusion into his prison, even if he welcomed it. Things which could read your mind were never truly welcome to have around, lest they begin to play with things which were not theirs.  
  
I apologize, Raziel. With thoughts as strong as yours, it is difficult not to pick them up. However, I cannot 'read' your mind as you mistakenly believe. Only pick up very strong thoughts. She smiled gently at Raziel, knowing that he would not fully believe her statement anyway. Having been through so much, it was only normal for him to be mistrustful of others.  
  
"So what is it you wish of me, lady?" asked Raziel with some false reverence. He folded his arms across his chest, mildly interested at what this apparition had to say to him. Thoughts of how the elder god had brought him back suddenly came flashing into his mind.  
  
Reaching out to Raziel, she gently caressed his cheek. He flinched as if burned by fire yet was suprised as the woman only smiled warmly at him. He soon felt a calm wash over him like he had never felt before. A feeling of, oneness, he thought. Something akin to coming home. And of an unconditional love. Not a love as such between lovers but something stronger. More pure, if such a thing existed.  
  
You have been through so much, dear Raziel. I have come to offer you something of a gift. She drew her hand to her heart, never once taking her crystal blue eyes off Raziel's own empty white ones. Something which you so truly deserve after what you have lived through. Taking a small breath, she told Raziel the one thing he thought he would never have again.  
  
I offer you your freedom.  
  
As the Soul Reaver plunges one final time into the elder god's Eye, a scream of rage echoes thoughout the vampire citadel. As Kain withdraws the sword, the chamber begins to crumble, debris and rubble collapse from the ceiling, threatening to bury the chamber. Sheathing the Reaver, Kain teleports to the top level of the spirit forge and watches the elder god retreat into the earth.  
  
"You cannot destroy me, Kain. I am the Engine of Life itself. The Wheel will turn. The plague of your kind will be purged from this world. And on that inevitable day, your wretched, stagnant soul will finally be mine!" The elder god gives one final roar as it buried itself far from the reach of the one weapon which could hurt it.  
  
Kain looks one final time at the chamber as tons of debris and rubble seal of the abomination which once held all of Nosgoth in its grasp. "In the meantime, you'd best burrow deep." threatend Kain, as he left the chamber, hoping never to see the 'god' again.  
  
Raziel threw his head back and laughed. Here was a being that claimed to be able to free him from the Reaver? How could one separate him from his own soul? He looked sharply at the woman in white and scowled. "Do not attempt to fool me, lady. I 'am' the Soul Reaver. What has happened had to happen for the sake of Nosgoth. I am resigned to my fate. Besides," said Raziel while rasing an eyebrow. "How do you separate me, from myself?"  
  
Selina only smiled warmly at Raziel. While Raziel still felt doubts about the woman's sincerity, he could not feel quite so angry with her as he initially did. Perhaps I should explain, Raziel. She sat down on an invisible chair while she began to reveal to him the true meaning of the Soul Reaver.  
  
While you wielded the Soul Reaver, it was never truly you that was bound. Your soul 'housed' the spirit of the Soul Reaver, a separate entity created to defeat the elder god of Nosgoth. The Soul Reaver Kain weilds was meant to be the true housing of the spirit. However, forces beyond the control of the Vampires forced the two Reavers apart. The spirit, sensing a chance to reunite itself with its 'brother' so to speak, chose you as its master. In effect, you are also the wielder of the Reaver just as Kain is.  
  
"Then how do you explain why the Reaver has controlled me when it encountered the forges and its material blade? You said yourself that I was its master. Or are you simply playing me just as the elder god has?" Raziel countered.  
  
She looked sadly at him, half expecting his reply, and half hoping he would trust her more. Like I said, the Reaver you wielded was the spirit of the Soul Reaver. Having joined you, it was in the hope that you would find its mate and release it when the time came. However, the elder god changed that when it made you into a devourer of souls. With the Reaver being somewhat like a soul, it too was drawn to the power you contained. It was in danger of being consumed by the one thing it was created to destroy. In desparation, the Reaver bonded itself to your own soul. This is why you felt that the blade was your own soul. In effect it was your soul, wrapped around the spirit of the Reaver. This would allow it to be safe from the elder's grasp yet also allowed it some control over your body. This control manifested itself whenever you encountered its blade and the forges. The Reaver was drawn to the power of the forges in order to strenghten it for the task it had to do. The blade, as was its purpose, was to house the Reaver.  
  
She looked down at her hands, sorrow clearly in her eyes. Whenever you touched the sword Kain wielded, the Reaver tried to return to the vessel it beloned to. But since it bonded with your soul, your soul, your very essence was drawn along with the Reaver when it returned to its true location.  
  
Raziel looked shocked at this revelation. He had always expected the blade to be truly his own soul and never thought the blade itself had a spirit of its own. He unconciously grabbed his right arm, half-expecting the phantom blade to still be there. 'Of course it wouldn't be there' thought Raziel. 'I'm the one inside the Reaver now, not the other way around.'  
  
Selina looked off to the side, as if hearing something far off. It appears Kain has defeated the god. She smiled again at Raziel, as if she was expecting the outcome from the beginning. Kain is quite the individual. He has taken the grief of your loss and turned it into determination to win. She stood up and dusted herself of imaginary dirt from her gown. Looking back at Raziel, she pointed at his right hand. Concentrate on the blade. she commanded.  
  
Shocked out of his stupor, Raziel looked puzzled but humored the woman. She had done nothing to earn his anger (yet, he thought) so he attempted to bring forth the Soul Reaver from his right hand. When nothing happened, he lowered his hand but a gentle touch on it made him look up.  
  
Please try again. she asked.  
  
Sighing and raising his hand one more time, he concentrated hard on the feeling of the Reaver. The feeling of power whenever it blazed from his hand. Selina stepped back as she began to smile. After a few moments, the Reaver sprang forth from Raziel's hand in all its glory. Coiled around his arm, Raziel looked in shock as the Reaver glowed its errie light.  
  
As you see, little Raziel, the Reaver's bonding with you has left you with some of its power. It's spirit may have left but your soul remembers how it had been changed by being bonded to the Reaver. You wield now not the Reaver but your own soul this time. A true soul blade. She beamed as Raziel stared at the blade glowing in his hand.  
  
Raziel looked back at Selina after getting over the initial shock of having the 'Soul Reaver' once again around his arm. "This may be but it does me little good trapped in here. If you were fooling me with your words of freedom then this blade may once again feed on something today." His eyes narrowed at her but he felt strangely guilty for attempting to threaten the apparition.  
  
Selina merely giggled at the threat, like a little child would at a private joke. I was not lying about my gift, Raziel. The blade was merely something I had wished to let you know about lest it suprise you some day. As for the blade feeding? Your soul is that blade. A soul does not need to feed. The only reason the Reaver took the souls of those you killed was in order to keep it sustained. Even bonded to your soul it had to keep itself 'alive' long enough to return home.  
  
Raziel nodded in understanding, then looked at his hands as if suddenly feeling the weight of everything he had done, both as Raziel of the Sarafan, as Raziel the Vampire, and as the Soul Reaver. "I am....sorry for lashing out and I apoligize for my actions. But I feel that I am not worthy of your gift. I have taken away so much, so many lives. I am not deserving of freedom. Leave me here to my fate." With that, the Soul Blade faded from Raziel's grasp as turned and began to walk away.  
  
Actually, said Selina, her smile never wavering. Think of this more as a second chance. Or fourth in your case.  
  
Even Raziel had to smile at the little joke she had made. His mood slightly lifted. "What do you mean?" he asked.  
  
While it is true that you have commited many sins thoughout the ages, you have redeeming qualities. Honor, compassion, a desire for justice, and a capacity for something great. Those things alone have allowed me to grant you freedom from the Soul Reaver, if you wish it.  
  
He looked down at his hands, imagining them covered in blood. 'A chance to redeem myself' he thought. 'Perhaps this time, I can actually do some good and finally be free.' He raised his pupiless eyes to her crystal blue ones, determination greater than when he was chasing Kain present in them. "I...would accept your offer. But I must know the price." He knew that freedom was rarely given, it was always earned. And there was always a price.  
  
A sad smile found its way to Selina's face. She nodded and affirmed Raziel's suspicions. Yes, there will be a price to pay. Balance must be maintained. For a life to be gained, a life must be taken.  
  
"If you mean someone must die for me to be free, I reject your offer." replied Raziel. His voice devoid of emotion.  
  
Not a sacrifice in the way you think, young one. For your new life to be gained, your old life must be taken away. She raised her hand and a glowing ball of light floated on top of it. If you accept my offer, all memories of your past lives will be erased, your experiences gone. It will seem to be nothing more than a fading dream to you. You will also have to learn to survive on your own. As the Soul Reaver, you had the benefits of all your experiences to help you survive. You will not have any of those once you are free. She looked again sadly at Raziel, as if expecting him to reject freedom for the final condition. Finally, you will no longer be in Nosgoth. The prophecy you had to fulfill in Nosgoth is done and thus you no longer need to be bound to this plane.  
  
Raziel looked hard at his hands, and thought back to the world he would leave behind. 'Would it really be worth it? To leave it all behind?' True, Kain might find some way to release him from the blade eventually. He was immortal and had the time to find a solution. But what kind of life, or afterlife awaited him should he be released from the blade? 'Nothing' he thought. Not on Nosgoth anyway. It took him a moment to compose himself and finally answer Selina.  
  
"I accept."  
  
Selina smiled brightly at the answer. She walked towards Raziel, placing the glowing ball of light on his forehead.  
  
As the ball entered him, he felt his body changing. Looking at his hands, he saw that they were no longer the hideos claws that they were but normal hands. Looking at her, he tore off the cloak he wore and felt his face. It was no longer the hideously deformed face that he had as the Soul Reaver but a normal one again. A flash of light behind him shook him out of his shock and as he looked behind him, a glowing portal of light swirled brightly. He looked again at Selina, half expecting this all to be some dream that he would soon wake up from. A giggle from Selina let him know she had an idea what he was thinking. Blushing at doubting the young woman. He turned back and began walking to the portal. Glancing back at Selina, he spoke to her one more time before stepping thought.  
  
"Will I see you again?" he asked.  
  
No you won't. said Selina. The smile never leaving her face. 'But you won't remember anyway' she thought. That was the final condition whenever offers such as this were made.  
  
Raziel smiled sadly, and looked one last time at his benefactor. "Thank you for..."  
  
No thanks are necessary. You have been deserving of this for so very long. Selina waved goodbye to Raziel as he prepared to take that final step to freedom.  
  
Raziel looked straight ahead and with a determined look, stepped into the portal and to his future.  
  
In a dark alley, a pair of alley cats fought over a small piece of food. As the two reached a secluded corner, a bright flash of light startled them and the two ran off, forgetting the food they fought over. From the corner, a young boy, not more than 15 or 16 years old, stumbled out of the darkness and collapsed into some empty boxes. His dark hair falling over his blue eyes, he moaned as he struggled to gain his bearings. What little light that shown from the solitary street post showed pale skin which seemed almost natural for him. He looked up at the night sky, noticing that the stars were bright tonight.  
  
Bending down and clutching his head, he knelt down and tried to make sense of the images and faces in his mind.  
  
"Who am I?"  
  
To be continued.  
  
Omake:  
  
"So, little vampire." sneered the elder god. "So. I am revealed to you at last."  
  
"What in the hell..." Kain stood in shock at the sight before him. A purple dinosaur with a hideously huge smile plastered on its face.  
  
"Hyuk hyuk hyuk. I love you, you love me..."  
  
"Noooooo!" screamed Kain as he dropped the Soul Reaver and covered his ears from the horrible noise. 


	2. Out of the darkness

**Souls Intwined**  
  
Disclaimer: Teen Titans and Legacy of Cain belong to their own respective creators. I'd like to apologize for the delay in this chapter. Certain things prevented me from finishing this on time but now I hope that I can get back on track.  
  
Enjoy.  
  
Note: This story takes place right after the 3rd installment of the Soul Reaver series and at the start of the Teen Titans animated series.  
  
'' - thoughts  
  
- Telepathy  
  
**Out of the darkness**  
  
Night signified darkness. An end to the light. And for some, it signified fear. The unknown always lurked in the darkness. Tonight, in this city, darkness fell once again. The never-ending cycle of night and day. But in one secluded alley, away from prying eyes, that darkness would be broken even if only for an instant. A flash of light in that secluded alley pierced the night and dropped a small figure onto a pile of old boxes.  
  
After several minutes of inactivity, the small figure rose to reveal a young boy. Perhaps no more than 15 or 16 years of age, the boy attempted unsuccessfully to stand up right, falling either on his face or on his rear. Failing to stand, he crawled towards a dark corner and attempted to get his bearings first before trying to use his legs again.  
  
'I am....free?' he thought. 'Yes, freedom. But from what? Why can't I remember?' He tried vainly to recall what had happened and what brought him to this place. All that came were images of ivory pillars, a sword, hooded figure and a woman in a snow white gown. Thoughts of the woman elicited feelings contentment, yet he could not understand why. Finally gaining some semblance of clarity, he noticed a certain cold draft. 'Maybe I should look for some clothes first' he mused.  
  
Checking the area, the boxes he had initially fallen on had burst open, revealing old clothes. ' he thought, as he started rummaging through for clothes which would fit.  
  
On another plane of existence, a certain blonde girl sneezed. Must be getting a cold. she thought. With a wave of her hand, a sweater shimmered into existence around her as she continued her walk.  
  
A figure stepped out of the dark alley, dressed in faded blue jeans, a white shirt, and a blue denim jacket. Looking at his reflection in a window, something still felt amiss. After spending a few more minutes in the alley, he returned wearing a dark red scarf. 'Perfect.' he thought. ' Although I have no idea why.' Seeing that he had no real memories which he could make use of for the time being, he started walking in a random direction, hoping to find himself. With his defenses down, he did not notice the small group of people that began following him.  
  
Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, a masked figure silently patrolled the city. Having gotten used to doing this during his stay in Gotham City, Robin felt quite at ease with each twist of his body, almost taunting death with every jump. Bringing out his communicator, he contacted his new 'Team Mates' for an update on the situation. "Titan's, anything to report?" he asked.  
  
"Nothing on the south end, Robin." replied a cheerful voice. Starfire, the alien who had joined the teen titans proved to be a valuable asset to the team. Her ability to fly allowed her to cover much ground while her ability to project her 'Starbolts' and Tamaranian strength would allow her to stand toe-to-toe with most villains they might encounter.  
  
"Not a creature's stirring, well, except me." joked Beastboy. Another member of the Teen Titans, Beastboy had the ability to shape shift into any animal he could imagine flawlessly. Well, flawlessly assuming nobody noticed the animal was green.  
  
"Everything's clear over here too," reported Cyborg. The largest member of the team, his cybernetic enhancements gave him more than enough fire power to take on other power houses. The sonic cannon alone gave him more firepower than a tank.  
  
"Nothing to report." said a cool monotone voice. Raven, easily the most mysterious and recluse of the Teen Titans. Her psychic powers seemed to be on par with Starfire's own Starbolts. The full extent of her powers was unknown to the other members since she rarely talked about herself, if at all. Her habit of keeping her emotions on a tight lid also seemed weird to the others but they accepted her, nonetheless.  
  
"Looks like this they were quiet tonight." replied Robin. They had heard reports of a gang which looted stores and robbed people every night in the city for the past few nights. They struck at random locations but no one had been seriously hurt but they were staring to become a public nuisance. The police had been vastly outgunned when they tried to to stop the gang so the Titan's took it upon themselves to try to apprehend them. "Let's call it a night. We'll try again tomorrow." Robin was about to put away his communicator when he heard what sounded like an explosion in the distance. "Hold on. I think I may have found something. Meet me at George and Elm Street." With that, Robin headed towards the direction of the shouting.  
  
"C'mon we gotta move fast!" yelled the leader of the group. They had broken into a jewelry shop and were rushing to grab as much as they could before the police could arrive. They each wore ski masks and gloves to avoid leaving traces of their identity. Their 'endorser' had also given them some high power fire arms as a deterrent to any law which might try to stop them. They had actually fought the police several times and gotten away each time. The leader looked around and smirked. Today would be no different.  
  
A crash from behind made him groan in irritation. There was always someone who threatened to screw up the whole operation. 'Time for some discipline,' he thought. "All right, who did tha..." He turned to the sound of the crash, half expecting to see one of the men fumbling around with the fallen loot and apologizing profusely. He was surprised to see 3 of his men knocked out, a young boy wearing a red scarf standing over them. The boy turned to him, the scarf flapping slightly in the wind.  
  
"I don't know what you want here but I have a feeling this stuff isn't yours. Leave now and you won't get hurt," said the boy. He knew he was vastly outnumbered and they most likely were carrying weapons but he hoped his show of skill would make them at least think twice before going up against him.  
  
Unfortunately for him, the leader of the gang began to turn red with rage. Here was a little kid, threatening him and his gang? He gave a shrill whistle which called the rest of the group behind him. They all dropped whatever they were carrying and started taking out knives, pistols, and grabbing whatever they could as a weapon. The leader, meanwhile, took out what appeared to be a laser rifle. "Get him!" he yelled. The gang rushed forward towards the unlucky boy, intent on causing a little bit more than just a little pain.  
  
'This can't be good,' thought the boy. While he had no idea how he had taken down the first few men, earlier, he had a pretty good idea that taking on the whole gang was another matter entirely. He attempted to take each one out one at a time, taking on those which appeared to have the least fighting experience. Dodging several clumsy punches, he easily countered those and knocked the thugs back. Another one, this time wielding a knife, took a swing at him which he barely avoided. Grabbing the offending arm, he slammed an elbow into the owner's throat, causing him to gasp and drop the knife. Seizing the opportunity, he released the arm and gave the thug a powerful right. This succeeded in knocking back his attacker several feet. Putting a little too much force than necessary, the punch also caused him to over-extend himself, leaving him open to the rest of the gang. He willed his body to move faster in a futile effort to avoid the onslaught of punches and stabs but he knew it wouldn't be enough. "I need to move faster, damnit! I can't die now!"  
  
That was his last thought as the glint of steel flashed towards his heart and all went black.  
  
Robin had just arrived on the scene and had noticed how the guy had knocked out the first gang members. 'Not bad,' he thought, noticing how each of the boy's movement's was precise and controlled to the most damage without inflicting a fatal blow. 'But I'm still better,' he smirked. Many nights in Gotham City had honed his skills far beyond normal people his age and he knew it. His smirk quickly turned into a frown as he saw the fatal mistake the boy had made. "Titan's, I've found the gang! Follow my signal!" After alerting the other Titans, he grabbed his weapon and jumped into the fray, bo-staff extending to its full length. He had succeeded in knocking down several of the thugs at the edge of the mob when he saw one of them throw a knife towards the boy. He knew he couldn't make it in time to stop it and the boy was too distracted with the people in front of him. Time seemed to slow down as he watched the knife hurtle towards it's target. What happened next would baffle Robin for the next few days.  
  
The boy, with a speed which seemed to rival Robin's own mentor, turned around and caught the knife inches from striking his heart. Tossing the knife towards another attacker, it struck him right on the head. The man collapsed to the ground, the boy's eyes not showing any emotion at what he had just done. He turned his attention to the other men who now acted more cautious; seeing one of their own fall like that had put them on edge. The boy sneered at them, lowering his stance as his hands curled like claws and leaping at the crowd.  
  
Robin's eyes widened in shock. 'Did he just kill someone?' All his life Robin never had to take a life. If this boy did what he was thinking, he would be have to be taken down with the others as well. Rushing towards the fallen man, he weaved between the crooks knocking each one out as he passed. As he reached the 'dead' man, he noticed that instead of a knife sticking out of the man's head, there was just an ugly bump right on the forehead. Sighing with relief, he was about to turn back to the fight when he noticed one small detail. The design on the handle of the knife had imprinted itself where it struck the man's head; the knife had struck the man with the hilt. 'The amount of control needed to throw the knife with that degree of accuracy is....' Robin's train of thought was interrupted as he was rushed by more gang members.  
  
'Damn it,' thought the leader of the gang. They had gotten along without a hitch for several days now and these two little brats were beating all of his men. He did not like losing. He never lost. Looking at the first one who ruined his day, he raised his gun and took aim.  
  
The boy, meanwhile, had begun using one of the thugs as a living weapon, swinging him from side to side like a staff. As more thugs fell, they became more cautious and kept their distance. Seeing that he had no more targets within range, he lowered his human weapon to the ground, now all black and blue from the punishment 'it' had been receiving.  
  
Robin was having just as much luck. While the thugs greatly outnumbered them, his skill more than made up for the difference in number. Sensing something was amiss, he took a quick glance to the side and saw the leader taking aim for the boy, a maniacal gleam in his eyes. "Die, you little punk!" screamed the thug, and fired off a shot. The laser struck the boy in the arm, causing him to scream in pain as he dropped his human 'weapon' and fell to his knees. Seeing their leader fire his weapon, the other gang members with guns now took aim at the Teen Titan they faced.  
  
"Oh boy." gulped Robin. He quickly spun his staff in an attempt to block the shots lancing out towards him. To his surprise and relief, a black wall of energy materialized in front of him and blocked the barrage of laser fire. Looking behind him, he saw the rest of the team rushing in to help subdue the rest of the criminal gang. "Glad to see you could make it." quipped Robin.  
  
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," joked Cyborg. Transforming his right arm into sonic cannon mode, he began to fire off several shots into the mob, knocking out a good portion of the gun wielders. "Who's calling the shots now?" Cyborg yelled as he charged off after the crooks.  
  
"Shit, its the Titans!" yelled one of the crooks. Seeing as they were now outgunned, they all tried to run away from the walking tank when they found their way blocked by a huge green T-Rex and a very angry red-head. Two things which were not good to have in combination.  
  
"You tried to hurt Robin. You are very bad men. Please surrender now." threatened Starfire. Her eyes glowing with a green hue and her starbolts in her hands, ready to fire. "Yeah, what she said." replied Beastboy. However, being a T-Rex turned his little statement into a huge roar which made the gang members either raise up their hands in surrender or faint right on the spot.  
  
Raven, meanwhile, turned her attention to the knife wielding criminals and trapped them all under a bubble of dark energy. "That should hold you until the police arrive." She turned her attention then to Robin who was busy beating the tar out of a very bruised and battered gang leader. "Robin, enough! He's beaten." Looking around, she finally noticed the source of Robin's outburst. A young boy, probably not much older than themselves, had a huge mark on his left arm. Apparently the victim of a laser pistol. He was on his knees, grabbing his left arm in an attempt to ignore the pain. She grabbed the person Robin was beating up with a wave of her hand and threw him into a garbage bin, sealing it with her power.  
  
Robin looked up at Raven, giving his trademark smirk, a silent thanks for the help. "Check on that guy," he said, pointing towards the injured boy. "It looks like he was hurt pretty bad." With that, he rushed off after the remaining thugs who had escaped a very angry Tamaranian and T-Rex. 'Hopefully she won't hurt them too bad,' he mused as he bounded after Starfire.  
  
Raven flew over to the fallen boy, now finally worried about the injury he had received. "Don't worry, you're going to be all right. We'll take you to a hospital." said Raven as she reached over to try to help the boy up. However, he threw her a crazed glance and slapped her hand away The instant that their hands touched, Raven thought she saw his eyes glow briefly with an unearthly light. Dismissing it as a trick of the shadows, she tried once again to get closer to him. "Listen, you're hurt. If you don't get that treated it might get worse. Please listen to reason."  
  
"Keep away!" he snapped. He couldn't think straight. All he could remember was the knife, his body moving of its own volition, and a sudden burning pain in his arm. Looking to towards the hand he slapped away, he saw a pale girl wearing a dark blue cloak. 'Must keep away,' he thought. He struggled to get to his feet and run. He knew, at the very least, that in his current state he was a danger to everyone around him.  
  
Raven saw him try to get up and moved closer to help him. However, tonight her powers decided they were going to run amok and as she reached over towards him, a bolt of dark energy slammed into the boy, tossing him back several feet. The blood drained from Raven's face as the boy collapsed to the ground, unmoving. Fearing the worst, she rushed over to his side and tried to find a pulse. Finding he was still alive, she reigned her powers in as much as she could, mentally willing herself calm. She quickly put distance between here and the boy, afraid of what might happen should she lose control again.  
  
"All right, that's the last of them," said Cyborg as he threw the last of the gang onto a huge pile of them over in the corner. The crooks had, not surprisingly, put up very little of a fight.  
  
"Goes to show that the Teen Titans are the still the best heroes in Jump City!" cheered Beastboy as he and Cyborg high-fived.  
  
"Yes, friend Beastboy. And to congratulate ourselves, I will make the pudding of gratefulness when we return." All the Teen Titan's looked to Starfire and silently prayed they'd wake up the following morning. As they were contemplating what Starfire would put into the pudding this time, the police finally arrived along with an ambulance to take care of any of the injured.  
  
"Take care of the boy. He was hurt by the gang." said Robin. The police nodded and proceeded to take all the crooks to jail while the boy was rushed to the hospital.  
  
"Do you think he will be all right?" asked Starfire, concern clearly visible in her eyes.  
  
"Physically, I think he'll be fine. His arm might take some time to heal but overall I think he's going to make it" answered Raven, her cowl hiding more of her face than usual. "Let's go. Our job here is done." She then flew off back towards Titan's Tower, leaving the rest of the team behind.  
  
"What's her deal tonight?" wondered Beastboy out loud. "Wonder if she has to 'meditate' again." he half-joked. Everyone nodded in understanding. Her abilities easily made her one of the more powerful members of the team but she claimed she needed to control her emotions to use it effectively. She told them she needed to meditate daily in order to keep that control. The team had only recently been formed and they were still in the 'getting to know each other' phase. As much as the rest of them wanted to, Raven was the only one who didn't really interact with the rest of them much less share anything about herself.  
  
"Let's go guys. It's been a long night and yawn we've been up for hours." Robin said, the sun just beginning to rise over the horizon. With that, he fired of his grappling hook and swung off towards home. Starfire, Beastboy and Cyborg followed as well, with Starfire carrying Cyborg all the way back.  
  
"Friend Cyborg, are you getting heavier?" she asked.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
Raven arrived at the Tower first, her only thoughts were about her losing control earlier. Heading straight to her room, she immediately went into her mediation posture and chanted the words which allowed her control over her mind and emotions. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos" She repeated the chant over and over, once again pushing aside the emotions which would endanger not only her teammates, but quite possibly the rest of the planet. After some time, she heard the rest of the Titans arrive, the laughter of the group filtering through her door. She felt a small feeling somewhat akin to regret but quickly pushed it aside. She needed control if she was to remain useful at all. With that, she blocked the sounds coming from outside her room and continued in her meditation.  
  
The boy was quickly brought to Jump City General Hospital where his injuries were treated. They left him in one of the hospital's empty beds, letting him rest and recover. They knew the dangers the Teen Titans encountered whenever they patrolled the city. Getting caught in one of their fights was not something you would want to happen. As he slept, a dark energy began taking form where Raven had struck him. It hovered briefly above him before it shot towards his right arm, coiling around it. He flinched as the dark energy started to enter his arm; sweat began pouring down his forehead as the intruder began to work its way deep into his body.  
  
In his mind, he was falling down. No, someone had thrown him over a cliff. He vainly tried to reach for anything to stop his fall then the agony came. Landing in a pool of water he tried to swim to the surface but the pain was overwhelming. The water seemed to burn him like acid, eating away at his very flesh. Just when he thought the pain would go on, he was suddenly standing in front of a set of huge pillars. A moment, they were pure white and pristine, the next they suddenly began to crack and corrode.  
  
More and more scenes played themselves out in front of his 'eyes'. Each time the scene would change, he would feel a sense of deja vu. 'Are these my...memories?' he wondered, all the while holding his head as he struggled to make sense of the stream of images before him. The scene shifted once more and he saw that he was standing in front of a huge door. On the door, there was a picture of a winged being and a depiction of a sword at the foot of the door. As he walked towards the door, a familiar yet unknown sensation began to make itself known. An etherial sword slowly materialized in his right hand; its phantom presence pulling him closer to the door. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the sword depicted on the door bore an uncanny resemblance to the phantom blade which seemed to be bonded to his arm. At the base of the image, there seemed to be a 'keyhole' of some kind.  
  
'Nothing ventured, nothing gained, I suppose.' He was about to raise the sword when a girl in pristine white gown appeared, blocking his way. She had a sorrowful look in her eyes. She placed her hand on his chest, as if pleading with him to stop.  
  
Blushing slightly but determined look in his eyes, he took her hand off and tried to push her aside. "I'm not sure why you want to stop me or even who you are, but I have questions about myself and I think this door holds some of those answers. If you plan to stop me..."  
  
She shook her head and gave him a sad smile, her eyes seemingly hopeful for something. Stepping back, she mouthed something which he couldn't understand and faded from view.  
  
"That was....interesting." he said out loud. Focusing more on the task at hand, he raised the sword towards the door and placed it into the keyhole. The door gave a groan as the power of the sword forced it open. In an instant, he was engulfed by a bright light and lost all consciousness. 


	3. First Impressions

**Souls Entwined **

**Disclaimer: **Teen Titans and Legacy of Cain belong to their own respective creators. I'd like to thank all those who have reviewed my story. It's because of you guys that I'm inspired to continue writing. Enjoy.

Note: This story takes place right after the 3rd installment of the Soul Reaver series and at the start of the Teen Titans animated series.

'' - thoughts

**First Impressions **

Light shone brightly through the hospital window. '_An unfamiliar ceiling,'_ he thought. He mentally winced as he realized with both joy and sudden embaressment that he knew what his name was.

'Raziel. Who names their kid Raziel?'(1) he thought. Turning his head towards the window, he allowed the warmth of the sun to wash over his face as he replayed the events which lead up to his impromptu visit to the hospital.

'I remember fighting those people and getting hit by...a laser', he thinks to himself frowning as he recalled the sensation as the beam of light struck him. 'Definitely not something I'd like to experience again,' he thought, as he looked at his heavily bandaged arm. Feeling nature call, he used his good arm to raise himself up and slowly made his way to the washroom.

Splashing himself awake, he looked in the mirror and was slightly surprised by his appearance. He saw a young boy, probably not more than 16 years old, with a mat of dark hair falling in front of his eyes. His pale skin gave him the impression that he had not seen sunlight for some time (or that he was unnaturally pale). In either case, it gave him a slightly gothic look that other people usually tried to duplicate with makeup. The way he looked didn't really surprise him more than how he looked. He just looked so...young. That alone made it feel somewhat unnatural. Giving himself a pinch to make sure he wasn't dreaming, he dismissed it as something due to his missing memory and returned to his bed only to find a doctor looking quite shocked at his appearance.

"Well now, it seems you're up Mr. John Doe," said the doctor as he looked through his patient's file. "When you were brought in your right arm had suffered severe burns and will take some time to heal. I'm actually quite surprised you're already awake. We gave you quite a bit of drugs to help with any pain but they have quite the reputation of putting our patients in a deep sleep," he chuckled. "But that's besides the point. Do you remember anything of what happened to you?"

Raziel eyed the doctor and supposed it would be ok to tell him the events of the previous night. "Well for one thing, doctor, my name is...Raziel," he said, almost mumbling his name. "I was just walking around when these group of people started breaking into a shop. I tried to stop them and actually knocked out a few but I guess I was too impulsive for my own good." He sighed as he tried clenching his right hand only to hiss in pain. "Anyway, then these other people show up and start beating up the robbers and that's the last I remember."

The doctor looked both surprised and disappointed at the young teen. Here was a boy who stood up to the crooks that police had difficulty catching. Unfortunately, he thought, that impulsiveness would get him into more trouble sooner or later. Then he noticed the 'other people' term. "Oh, you must mean the Teen Titans," said the doctor. "They've just appeared in Jump City only a few weeks ago and have been patrolling the city ever since." While it went against his personal beliefs to let children fight against villains, he knew that they were the only ones right now with the ability to effectively defend the city. "Wait, you mean you didn't recognize them when they started fighting? They're quite popular with your generation right now."

Raziel searched his swiss cheese memory for any clues for this 'Teen Titans' group and found none. "Nope. Never heard of them," he replied while shaking his head.

The doctor was quite shocked at this. While the Titans were relative new comers to the city, they had already made quite a name for themselves and it was almost impossible to find someone in Jump City who hadn't heard about them. "This is quite a suprise," said the doctor. "I guess you must be from out of town. Anyway, let's get down to getting you home. I'm sure your parents must be worried about you." He was somewhat relieved that at least this boy didn't suffer from any of the hero worship his own children seemed to be plagued with. His ears still hurt from the time his daughter saw Robin drive by on their way home.

"Right..." Raziel lamely answered. He knew the topic about where he came from would come up sooner or later but it didn't make it any easier trying to say 'Oh, I'm sorry but I can't remember my parents or who I am, etc.' He knew things would be a bit difficult if they found out he had no where to go. While he was debating how much to tell the doctor, a nurse gave him an unexpected save from revealing (or rather being unable to reveal) anything.

"Excuse me, doctor, but he has a visitor," said the nurse in a soft voice.

"Really? Did they say who they were?" asked the doctor.

"It's the Teen Titans," replied the nurse.

T-T-T

(A few hours earlier)

The light tore through the darkness of the void, its warm life-giving rays signaling the birth of a new day. In the void, however, something stirred; something powerful which did not like the light. It twisted and turned as the gentle beams caressed its outer shell, beckoning it to come forth. Try as it may resist, the entity could not resist the call. It shed it's outer skin and looked with contempt at the irritation which had broken it's slumber.

"Morning...I hate mornings." grumbled Raven. She swung her legs over her bed as she took off the blanket she had used in vain to stop the sun from waking her up. She was basically a night person but her biological clock thought otherwise and decided to wake her up as soon as the sun hit her face. Seeing no point in arguing with nature, she got out of bed and headed for the tower's only bathroom hoping no one else was using it. As she approached the bathroom, she saw Cyborg a few feet away also headed to the bathroom. 'He's up earlier than usual,' mused Raven as she continued towards the shower.

Raven made her way to the shower first but before she could enter she was interrupted by Cyborg. "Uhh, Raven I don't think..." started Cyborg but he was cut off by a frown from Raven. You didn't want to get on Raven's bad side and apparently mornings didn't bring out the best in her. He wisely backed off as she closed the bathroom door. Shrugging his shoulders, Cyborg waited beside the door as he counted off to himself. "5...4...3...2...1..."

Before he could say "zero" the door opened with a dripping wet and shivering Raven wrapped up in a bathrobe, her lips a bit more pale than usual and giving Cyborg a glare that would have made lesser men run in terror. Cyborg merely looked back and held up a sign he was planning to put up before Raven beat him to the shower. Raven read the sign, gave a sigh of resignation and headed back to her room, mumbling "I hate mornings" as she left.

Cyborg went back to putting up the HOT WATER UNDER REPAIR sign.

A little later, all the Titans sans Raven were all gathered for breakfast. Starfire had offered to share some Tamaranian recipes.

"Friends, as it has been one month since we have become friends, I have made us the 'Pudding of Gladness' in celebration of this occasion," beamed Starfire as she set on the table individual bowls for all of them. The creamy white mixture reminded the earth born titans of vanilla pudding. Seeing the Tamaranian looking expectantly at them, they all reached for their spoons and prepared to taste the new concoction when Starfire suddenly yelled.

"Stop! We can not start without friend Raven. Has anyone seen her?" she asked.

"She was taking a shower. She should be done by now, I suppose," answered Cyborg.

Robin and Beastboy looked at Cyborg, both with raised eyebrows.

"I thought the hot water wasn't..." began Robin but was interrupted by Beastboy who suddenly had a certain gleam in his eyes.

"You mean you saw Raven? In the shower? And she didn't blast you? Dude, you're the luckiest guy in the world!" he exclaimed, as jumped over to Cyborg's side. "So what did she look like?" whispered Beastboy into Cyborg's ear.

"NO! IT WASN'T LIKE THAT!" sputtered Cyborg. "She got to the shower before I could put up the sign that the hot water wasn't working. Raven would kill me or anyone else for that matter if that did happen." He shuddered to think what could happen to anyone who actually tried ANYTHING with Raven. Beastboy had a glazed look over his eyes as he actually pictured what Raven would look like in the shower(2).

Just then, said topic of the conversation stepped into the room dressed in her usual blue cloak. The two titans wisely shut up and returned to their places at the table, giving Raven a nervous laugh as she approached them.

She eyed them warily, causing Cyborg and Beastboy to sweat bullets. They knew Raven's main power was psychic but they were currently praying mind reading wasn't one of them. Luckily for them Starfire immediately pulled over Raven to her side, eager to share her dish with her friend.

"Come, Raven. Please try my 'Pudding of Gladness'. I made it in celebration of our friendship." Starfire immediately placed a bowl of the stuff in front of Raven, smiling expectantly as she waited for Raven's reaction.

"I don't do 'pudding'" replied Raven in her usual monotone voice, causing Starfire's mood to immediately dampen. "But...thank you anyway," continued Raven. Starfire brightened after that. Perhaps she could take Raven shopping later and do the 'girl talk' she thought, causing Raven to suddenly feel impending doom, yet unable to place where it was coming from. Heading to the cupboard to retrieve her usual tea, she watched as the other Titans began eating Starfire's first attempt at breakfast.

"Hey Star, this is good stuff. It is like eating pudding," commented Robin as he continued to feed himself. At first he was worried Tamaranian taste might be a bit different from earth food but he was glad his worries were misplaced.

"Yeah, this stuff's great!" added Cyborg. Even though he was part machine, he still needed food for his organic parts(3) and breakfast was a very important meal to him.

"I hope there's no meat in here," said Beastboy. Being able to transform into any animal made him wary of eating any animal product. Seeing Starfire shake her head. He also started to eat the delicious meal.

"Yes, Beastboy. I did not put any animal products into it. Although I could not find any of your earth 'blue berries' which I heard were very good so I used the blue fuzzy fur in the back of the refrigerator. It is also blue so it must be good as well," replied Starfire as she continued to enjoy her meal.

Three spoons fell to the floor as Cyborg, Beastboy, and Robin turned an unhealthy shade of green.

"Robin, you are as green as Beastboy. Does this mean you have his abilities as well?" asked Starfire. She didn't get an answer as the three boys ran off to the bathroom.

"Dibs on the bathroom!" yelled Beastboy

"No, me first!" "NO! Me!" could be heard as they rushed off.

Starfire looked at the trail of dust curiously as she turned to Raven. "Is this some earth custom I should know about?"

Later, Robin, Beastboy and Cyborg were moaning on the couch. They vowed to teach Starfire about Earth food soon or at least have someone watch her when she cooks. Robin would have continued moaning but just then Starfire entered the room, having cleaned up breakfast. Robin elbowed his team mates to make sure they also stopped moaning.

"Don't let her know it was bad," growled Robin as he smiled through the pain. They all put on fake smiles as Starfire made her way to the couch and sat beside Robin. Giving her his best smile, he turned to the other side and tried to signal Raven who was reading a book in one corner of the room.

Feeling eyes on her, Raven turned to Robin and noticed him mouth the word 'Help' and 'Medicine'. Giving a sigh of resignation, she put down her book and headed off to the medicine cabinet while Robin returned his attention to Starfire and continued his conversation with her.

Beastboy and Cyborg however, left Robin to suffer by himself, both rushing to get back to the bathroom.

Raven on the other hand was rummaging through the medical cabinet in med lab. "Where are all the medicines?" she wondered out loud. As she moved about the room, she noticed a huge pile of opened pillow packs; the medicines she was looking for. 'Well, that was pointless,' she thought. 'Looks like they already used it up earlier. Plus taking all those medicines at once isn't a good thing.' She considered leaving the others to wallow in pain but then realized she'd be the one taking care of all of them if she did. Placing her hood on, she summoned her powers which covered her in the form of a huge black bird. Phasing through the roof, she flew off to buy more medicines and a few others just in case. As she left the tower, she could have sworn she heard Beastboy and Cyborg moaning somewhere in the distance.

"Kill me now..."

"No, kill me first..."

T-T-T

As Raven approached the hospital, she landed a few meters away from the entrance. Even if she were a 'super-hero', it probably wouldn't help any patients seeing a dark cloaked shape hovering outside their window. She steadily made her way to the hospital's pharmacy when she recalled the events of the previous night. 'Wasn't this the hospital closest to where we found him?' she wondered. Seeing a nurse close by, she asked if they took in a boy last night with a laser injury.

"Why, yes. We admitted him last night. The doctors were very glad that his injury wasn't as bad as it seemed. Although they were quite curious why he seemed to have other injuries that weren't consistent with either the laser burn or any possible trauma from physical injury. It was quite puzzling, really," replied the nurse in a soft sing-song voice.

Raven subconsciously pulled her hood over her head after hearing about the 'additional' injuries. It wasn't something she was proud of but hearing the nurse say it brought feelings of guilt which she quickly squashed lest her powers act up again. "Where is he now?" she asked.

"Oh, he's actually on this floor. He's actually quite remarkable. Aside from his injuries, he's in perfect health. The doctor's never seen one so healthy before. Would you like to see him?"

Raven gave a slight nod, her senses still overwhelmed by all the 'niceness' being radiated by the nurse. She got enough of that from Starfire. Still, seeing the boy in good health would get rid of her guilt so she followed the nurse down the hall to recovery room. As they reached the room, the nurse stopped outside the door as she called the doctor's attention.

"Excuse me, doctor, but he has a visitor," said the nurse in a soft voice.

The doctor looked at the nurse, a bit surprised that someone had already come to visit. "Really? Did they say who they were?" asked the doctor.

"It's the Teen Titans," replied the nurse.

T-T-T

(Back to the present)

"Oh, let them in," replied the doctor. "I'll check up on you again, Raziel." With that, the doctor left the room with the nurse as Raven waited right outside the door.

Raziel looked curiously at the girl who was waiting outside the door. She had a cape and cowl which hid her features except for her mouth which wasn't covered by her cowl's shadow. "Hello, do I know you?" he asks.

"I'm with the Teen Titans," she replied. "My name is Raven. We had you brought here after you got injured taking on those robbers last night." Raven struggled with the words as she tried to think of what was a 'normal' thing to say when visiting someone in the hospital; she really wasn't all that good at interacting with others. "Are you feeling alright?" she asked, sounding a bit forced.

As she took off her cowl, Raziel finally got a good look at the girl who came to visit. She had an almost unhealthy pale complexion. Her dark purple hair trimmed just a little above the shoulders. A small jem adorned her forhead (_'probably some cultural significance',_) thought Raziel, which almost seemed to glow in the morning light. He could make out that she was wearing a rather tight leotard which didn't hide the curves of her body, bringing a slight blush to his also pale skin. Aside from the fact that she did not fit what others consider a 'normal' girl would look like, in his opinion he found her quite attractive. Yet, something just seemed 'off' about her. Like something she was hiding from everyone else.

Raven didn't notice the blush but was aware that he was staring quite a bit at her. Feeling somewhat self-conscious since she valued her privacy, she cleared her throat to get his attention. Ahem "How is the arm?" she asked, a tad irritated at being stared at.

He blushed more this time, embarrassed that he had been caught staring. Trying to clench his fist, he falied as pain shot up his arm, the wound still not healed enough. "I'll live," he replied with smirk.

"Let me have a look at it," said Raven. Placing her hands over the arm, they began to glow with a faint blue light as her powers worked to heal the injury.

Raziel's eyes grew wide in amazement as he saw the glowing hands and felt the pain in his arm grow less and less. Pretty soon, he was able to flex his arm without much effort.

"I've healed most of the injury but you might want keep the bandages on for a few more days."

"That's quite a skill you have," complimented Raziel. The healing was even faster than vampiric healing, he mused. _'Vampiric? Where did that come from?'_ he wondered. He turned to talk to her more but saw that she was already headed out the door. "Are you leaving already? I could use the company," he half-joked.

She turned to him, not quite sure what to make of his statement. "My friends are waiting for me, so I can't stay. I only came by to make sure you weren't injured too badly," she answered in a cool voice. Placing her cowl back on, she left the room, leaving Raziel alone to recuperate.

"Well, that went well," said Raziel out loud. He resumed flexing his newly healed arm, still amazed at how quickly she had healed it.

Raven left the boy and headed to the pharmacy. As she purchased the medicines for her team mates, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something different about the boy. She had never shown anyone her healing ability, yet did so in front of him without a second thought. Physically he seemed like your average 'goth' kid with his pale skin and dark hair but like her, it wasn't something due to make-up. Still, something about him made her feel on edge. _'I hope he doesn't turn out to be someone we have to fight,'_ she hoped. Filing away that little thought for later, she left the hospital and made her way back to Titans Tower, wondering if the boys were still alive.

Raziel on the other hand was back with the doctor, careful not to expose the fact that his arm was now healed.

"Well, we can't do anything else here. Aside from your arm, you should be in perfect health," said the doctor as he went over Raziel's record. "A nurse will be by later to ask you to fill up some forms. You know, just some standard hospital records. After you fill those up just head over to the cashier."

Raziel looked worried at that last statement. Having no memory was bad. Having no memory and no money was even worse. How was he supposed to pay any bills if he didn't have any money?

The doctor noticed the boy's apprehension and gave a small chuckle. "Don't worry about any bills. When you were brought it, someone already paid for your whole stay here. I guess your friends found out you were here so they made sure that everything would be taken care off."

"Uh, right. My friends," replied Raziel. _'But I don't know if I have any friends at all in this city. Who could have paid for it?'_ he wondered.(4) _'No sense worrying about that now.' _ He took off the hospital gown and put on the clothes he wore the night before. Taking a look at the hole in his shirt, he gave a sigh of resignation. That was his only shirt after all. Rolling up the sleeves, he at least made the attire look somewhat presentable. Having done the best he could at salvaging his outfit, Raziel headed off to fill up the forms.

"Oh Raziel, there you are. Please fill up these forms before you leave," said the nurse as she gave the boy a huge stack of papers. Taking a look at the questions, he started to answer them but paused as he read the first question; Parents' names.

"..."

_'This isn't good,'_ he thought. The last thing he needed people to find out about was his little 'problem' with memory. While he knew they probably would have his best interests in mind, something at the back of his head was telling him to just leave the paper. As he debated his course of action, the nurse was called from her station by another doctor to help with some patients. Sensing an opening, he placed the papers in the trash can(5) and quickly made his way to the exit.

Stepping into the light, he held up his hand as the sun shone brightly in the blue sky. He took a deep breath, savoring it as if it were the first time he was in the sun. Having no real plan at the moment, Raziel debated which direction he would start walking, 'Definitely not back in that alley' he thought, when his stomach growled loudly and made the decision for him. Having the decency to blush as an elderly couple nearby gave a short laugh, he began walking towards what looked like the commercial district.

"Maybe I should get some food first."

T-T-T

After Raven arrived at the tower, she was immediately rushed by the three sick teens as they each took several packs of medicine from her. Sporting a huge sweat drop as the human dust cloud disappeared into their respective rooms, Raven merely went back to her usual spot, picked up her book, and continued her reading.

"Raven, why did the boys seem so...in a hurry to get to their rooms?" asked Starfire.

"It's nothing. They'll be out for a few hours though," she answered coolly, and resumed her reading.

Starfire, seeing as this was the only answer she would get out of Raven, went to the living room to try out Beastboy's new Game Xtation.

T-T-T

In a dark room, we see a man sitting on a throne, the dim lights only showing the faintest of details. The room itself seemed to be part of a factory, the noise of the machinery humming in the background. No details could be discerned from him aside from the mask which covered his whole face. He stood up from his seat and walked towards a rather mature lady in front of a huge monitor, his metallic boots ringing heavily with each step he took. Sparing the briefest of glances towards the woman, nodded towards the monitor.

"Show me," he ordered.

The woman gave a short bow and pointed a remote towards the screen, soft classical music began playing as the video presentation she had prepared started.

" The Hive Academy for Extraordinary Young People is proud to introduce this year's top graduates. "

(To be Continued)

T-T-T

Notes:

(1) Since Raziel was reborn in the present time, with more or less current knowledge. I don't think Raziel would be a common name by now so his reaction should be more or less normal.

(2) I think Raven is one of the prettiest girls on the show. I'm pretty sure at least one of the guys has imagined catching a glimpse of the girls in the shower. I've stayed in a coed dorm before and it's not hard to imagine 'accidentally' walking into the shower and finding someone else in there. Not that it's ever happend to me. Nope. Not me. Never.

(3) With all the episodes which show Cyborg eating, I suppose he still needs to eat.

(4) To be answered in later chapters (I'm such a stinker :p)

(5) Baaaad Raziel. Wasting paper. :p

Apologies to everyone if the story is a bit slow. I'll try to get chapters up sooner. Who knew writing was this difficult? I admire all the people who have made other fics so far. You guys have given me inspiration to write.

Thanks also to twistedmakeral, spartandude87, Raving-Lunatic, GWFreak315, and Kokuryu for your reviews. I hope I can live up to your expectations.


	4. New Kid on the Block

**Souls Entwined**

Disclaimer: Teen Titans and Legacy of Cain belong to their own respective creators. I'd like to thank all those who have reviewed my story. It's because of you guys that I'm inspired to continue writing. Sorry if it took some time to get this chapter out. 'Real life' has been messing with my 'me' time. :p

Enjoy.

Note: This story takes place right after the 3rd installment of the Soul Reaver series and at the start of the Teen Titans animated series.

'- thoughts

".." - spoken words.

**New Kid on the Block**

A small boy in a green jumpsuit was standing in a yellow corridor. Looking quite smug, metallic wings sprouted from his backpack as he took flight. As he flew, turrets hidden in the walls of the corridor sprouted and began firing in his direction. Deftly avoiding each energy bolt, a missile rack springs from his pack and launches mini-rockets at the turrets, blowing up every one. As he flies further into the corridor, a pink haired girl fights against several robots, each easily 10 feet in height. She twirls in place, pink waves of energy striking the walls, causing pieces of them to fall off and crush her opponents. As she flips between the mangled machines, a huge cannon pops out of the floor behind her only to be smashed by a huge man with his bare hands. Several more cannons rise from the floor but the giant rips the one he smashed up and tosses it onto the offending guns.

Many more robots and turrets appear as the three teens race through the corridor, destroying each one as they make their way to the end. Upon reaching their destination, they take one last look at the destruction they cause before turning towards the exit. The scene fades to black as the video presentation ends, the head mistress of H.A.E.Y.P making her way in front of her client.

"Well, Mr. Slade?" she asks. Hive prided itself on being a crack mercenary force. If this client 'Slade' was all he claimed to be, Hive stood to earn a great deal of money from this transaction.

"They are impressive, truly." replied the man in the iron mask. His voice not betraying any emotional reaction to the presentation he just witnessed. Walking back to his seat, the sound of his metal boots reverberated throughout the whole factory. "Your team seems to be quite skilled but can they do more than smash machines?" he asked. "If your students want to serve me, they have to pass one final test."

All this time the head mistress had been following Slade as he walked. While she anxiously waited for what the request would be, she kept her stoic expression in place as she made her way beside the three new HIVE agents now standing in the spotlight. '_The first rule of marketing, never show them how eager you are for a sale'_. she mused silently. As Slade took his seat, finally told her what that request would be.

"Destroy the Teen Titans."

Giving a short bow, the lights above the head mistress and her students switched off, leaving Slade alone in the dark factory. As he sat on his throne, he pushed a few switches on his arm rest, causing one of the room's many monitors to play a video his operatives had recorded the day before. In it, he saw a young boy fighting against over 20 armed men and winning. At least until he was hit by a laser rifle. Dismissing the unknown boy, he focused his attention on the boy wearing a mask and bright colored costume. He watched the boy swing his staff against several thugs as his team mates took care of the bulk of the crooks. The boy's movements were extremely precise, each strike wasting as little energy as possible while achieving maximum results. After watching the Titans mop the floor with the crooks, Slade paused the scene and just stared at the city's defenders, an evil glint in the one eye visible in his mask.

------

Garbage was strewn all around the room; stains from what appeared to be last week's soda clung to the floor like glue. On the kitchen sink (and all over the kitchen counter) there appeared to be the entire kitchen ware gathering mold and grime. In the background, two voices could be heard arguing. The discussion was heated as strategies were debated, locations scoured, and suggestions were made. In this room, two of the most powerful individuals in the city fought over the one thing which could control their destiny.

"How could you lose the remote?!" yelled Cyborg as he lifted piece after piece of furniture in search of the holy artifact.

"What makes you so sure I lost it?" countered Beast Boy.

As they continued their argument, a vein slowly made its presence known on Raven's forehead, her eyes peaking ever so slowly above her book as they narrowed at the two Titans. Thinking to ignore the useless banter, she would have proceeded except Cyborg blurted something so stupid to her she had to react.

"How am I supposed to watch TV without the remote?"

"Simple," replied Raven in a sarcastic tone as she slammed her book shut. "You simply get up and change the channel."

Cyborg and Beast Boy gave here incredulous looks, Cyborg especially as his eye narrowed and glared at Raven. Raven simply glared back.

"Don't joke like that," retorted Cyborg.

"I wasn't joking."

"GOOD! 'CAUSE IT WASN'T FUNNY!" yelled back Cyborg, as he resumed his search for the remote control.

The vein came out in full force as Raven blushed in embarrassment; _'And these are my team mates?'_ she thought. "This is a pointless argument over a useless device. You are wasting energy and distracting me from my meditation." replied Raven in an irritated tone as she moved towards the arguing boys. Which actually didn't help much as the argument simply escalated now to three people instead of two.

"...and that is the secret to traveling faster than light," finished Starfire, as she and Robin entered the lounge room. She looked on in shock as three of her team mates were engaged in some verbal argument. Not really wishing to see her friends fight, she tried her best to placate the three.

"Friends, please do not fight."

"Yeah," added Robin, as he tried to help Starfire calm the team. "Combat practice is later this afternoon."

"Perhaps we could mend our disputes with the sharing of unhealthy junk food?" suggested Starfire. "I will go fetch them."

"I DON'T WANT ANY FOOD! I WANT THE REMOTE!!"

Starfire headed off to the kitchen while Robin attempted to placate the three arguing teens. Now normally, Starfire's cheery disposition would have been able to calm them down and more so if she was able to bring back food. The food however, had other ideas as it attempted to free itself from the confines of the tupperware, giving off a tiny roar as it faced Starfire.

"EEEEK!" yelled the distressed Tamaranian. While she was new to earth, she was pretty sure that unmoving food was usually universal and the small blue blob in front of her did not fit into her definition of food. And so, she did the one thing she knew would protect her from the horrible little slimy blue blob. She zapped it, causing all of the 'blue furry food' to explode in huge explosion of blue...stuff which covered the entire room in blue.

Robin peeked out from under the blue blob dripping from his hair. Raising his eyebrow at the current mess and the now lack of food in the tower, he what any good leader would do.

"Maybe we should just go out for pizza."

-----

The pedestrians looked towards the sound of the inhuman growl, half expecting to find one super villain or another (it was Jump City, after all), only to find a young teen with a blush slowly rising up his cheeks.

"Sorry," he apologizes and quickly walks away lest his stomach betray him again. Raziel reached into his empty pockets, hoping that some money would 'magically' appear but sighed as they were in the same state as his stomach; empty. _'Maybe I can find job so I'd at least have some money to buy food.' _growl _'Or maybe a soup kitchen first THEN a job,' _he chuckles to himself. As he walks down the street, he notices three unusually dressed people talking by the side walk. _'Hmmm. Must be more heroes around here than just the Titans.' _muses Raziel, leaving the three persons to their meeting.

-----

"All right, so you two remember the plan?" asks the only girl in the group; her unusually pink hair done in an even more unusual hair style.

"Yeah, yeah. We head in, kick their snot-nosed butts, then head back home," pouted the small boy in the group.

"Let's just get this over with, I'm hungry," complains the largest of the group.

"You're always hungry," the girl retorts. "Now get into position. They left the tower a few minutes ago and should be headed here any minute now." With that, the three H.A.E.Y.P graduates rush off to their assigned positions to await the arrival of their mission objectives.

The small child takes point at the top of a building, overlooking the main intersection. A pair of binoculars sprouts from his backpack and moves in front of his eyes. He takes the binoculars in hand and begins to scan for the targets.

"This is going to be too easy," he sneers.

-----

'_Well, that an effort in futility.'_ Raziel had been walking up and down both sides of the street searching for any job openings yet none seemed to be hiring at the moment. The fact he had no identification or qualifications whatsoever for any type of job didn't help either. Finally coming to rest at a pizza shop, he peered into the window hoping to find a help wanted sign. As he was searching though, he could here several of the customers talking quite loudly on the second floor.

"I suggest a large pizza with pickles, bananas, and mint frosting," says a rather cheerful voice, followed by what seemed to be an eternity of silence.

Raziel's pale face turned a slight shade of green upon hearing the toppings suggested. _'I may be hungry but I think I just lost my appetite.'_ Thankfully, the discussion above deteriorated to an argument between someone who wanted pepperoni and someone who apparently disliked meat, distracting him from the 'unique' pizza toppings earlier. "Well, another dead end. No job, and no money." He was about to leave the area when he noticed a bus careening down the street, its horn blowing loudly. Looking towards the intersection, he heard a small cry coming from a baby carriage in the middle of the road. _'The baby will be killed!'_ He was about to rush towards the cart when he heard words which would soon have a profound impact on his life.

"Titans, GO!"

He watched as Robin immediately jumped into the fray, firing his bird-a-rang in grapping hook mode and swinging towards the baby carriage while the girl with the fiery red hair flew down and took the baby carriage out of harms way. Cyborg ran towards the speeding bus, bracing himself as it careened at unsafe speeds. As it slammed into his waiting hands, Cyborg pumped full power into his systems to try to slow it down while Raven used her powers to try to activate the braking system inside the bus. All in all, they worked like a well oiled machine; the bus was put to a stop and Robin and the rest of the team had moved the baby carriage out of harms way.

'_Looks like my help isn't needed after all,'_ he thought with a small smile. _'At least they're really what that doctor claimed them to be._' He was about to walk away when he heard the cyborg comment something about the bus.

"Hey. Aren't buses normally supposed to have bus drivers?" Even Raven looked mildly surprised at the empty bus.

"And don't baby carriages normally have babies?" question Robin as he lifted a big green teddy bear from the carriage. The Titans looked puzzled at this turn of events when the said teddy bear suddenly looked directly at them, its eyes glowing brightly.

"Are you pit-sniffers normally this stupid? " it asked, before sending a beam of energy which blew Starfire, Robin, and Beastboy several feet into the air and into an alley. Before Raven and Cyborg could even react, the bus they had just stopped lifted itself into the air and poised itself above their heads, ready to crush them; or would have if one person had not been watching all of it happen.

"MOVE!" yelled Raziel as he rushed towards the two remaining Titans. As soon as the bear shot the three other titans he knew the others would be next. Running towards them even before the bus was raised, he began to formulate what needed to be done. _'He looks heavy. Hope this works,'_ thought Raziel. Jumping forward as hard as he could, he gave a double kick to Cyborg, the strength of the kick plus the momentum he had built up having just enough force to move him the few feet needed to avoid the bus. "Sorry," he yelled. He turned towards Raven, their eyes meeting for a split second as they recognized each other from the hospital.

"You..." the goth girl started. She didn't have time to finish as the bus started its downward motion, her body frozen like a deer caught in headlights. Before it came crashing down on her, she felt herself pushed violently to one side. She turned towards her 'rescuer' as he gave her a small smile; her eyes widening as she recognizes the look of resignation. She screams for him to move as the bus continued to fall.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion for Raziel, however; he was no hero, nor was he anything special but he tried to help the Teen Titans anyway. He turns towards falling bus, a frown on his face. _'Shouldn't my life be flashing before my eyes right about now?' _he wonders. With nothing coming to mind, he raises his arms in a futile defense as the bus makes its final fall.

"This is going to hurt..."

The bus crashes down on its target, raising a cloud of dust which obscures the area. As the dust clears, a large figure makes its way through, wiping the dirt off his hands.

"That was too easy," replies Mammoth. "I always thought they'd put up more of a fight."

"I know. What a bunch of cludge-heads," comments Gizmo, who lands in front of his large companion.

Jinx then walks up to her team mates, a puzzled expression on her face. "Did you guys see something just before Mammoth dropped the bus?"

"I didn't see anything, and my sensors didn't pick up anything either. You were probably just imagining things. Want to get some pizza?" asks Gizmo.

Mammoth eagerly nods in agreement while Jinx stares intently at the bus. _'Something just doesn't feel right,'_ she thinks.

-----

Cyborg shook the cobwebs from his head; the guy who kicked sure packed some power. As he got back on his feet, he saw the three teens talking about beating the Titans and the wreckage of the bus. _'Hey! No one ALMOST drops a bus on me!'_ He then hears Robin and the others as they emerge from the alley they fell into.

"This isn't over." states Robin.

Cyborg uses this opportunity to step out of the dust cloud and enter the fight. "We're just getting started," he adds. As he charges towards the group, he notices Raven just staring at the bus, her eyes wide with shock. "Raven! C'mon!" he yells.

Raven is shaken out of her stupor with Cyborg's call. She takes one last look at the wreckage of the bus, a determined look on her face as she joins her team mates in the fight.

The three H.A.E.Y.P graduates step back, surprised by the 2 Titans they thought crushed by the bus.

"I knew it!" hissed Jinx. "You missed."

"Hey, I don't miss," retorted Mammoth.

Beastboy, on the other hand, was still struggling to get out of the trashcan he landed in. "Hey, what's a cludge-head? And who are these guys?" he wondered out loud as he finally pulled himself out of the trash.

As if on cue, the three teens start their attack once again on the Teen Titans, eager to finish the job they started.

"We are the H.I.V.E..."

"...your worst nightmare..."

"...and this is attack pattern alpha."

The battle began almost immediately. Although outnumbered, the H.I.V.E agents clearly had the advantage with working as a team. Mammoth and Cyborg targeted each other, both knowing who the powerhouses of the groups were. They first seemed evenly matched but Cyborg soon gained the upper hand as he began to push back the meta-human. Starfire was currently in an aerial dog-fight with Gizmo, pitting star bolts against mini-rockets; both of them missing their targets completely.

"Nya-nya, you can't it me!" jeered Gizmo, causing the Tamaranian girl to fly into a righteous rage as she continued to throw her star bolts. Mammoth, in the meantime, was losing the power struggle with Cyborg; the unstoppable force versus the not-quite immovable object.

"No one messes with the Teen Titans in their home town," taunted Cyborg as he continued to push back Mammoth. Things suddenly took a turn for the worst when Mammoth's expression turned to a sneer.

"I don't see any Titans. Just an idiot with a rocket on his back."

"What rocket....?!" Cyborg barely got a sentence out when Gizmo landed on his back and strapped a remote control rocket; causing him to fly out of control.

"Cyborg!" yelled Starfire. She flew of after her team mate, barely keeping up with Gizmo's rocket.

"Two snots down, three to go." said Gizmo, as he looked at the remaining Titans for a target.

Raven on the other hand, was having difficulty fighting Jinx. Hand-to-hand combat was never really her specialty. That, and the fact that her mind was still in a state of chaos over the death of the boy from the hospital. Every punch and kick she tried was either blocked or avoided by Jinx as she weaved in between Raven's attacks. If she thought about it, using her psychic powers may have been a better alternative.

"Is that the best you've got? You fight like a boy," sneered Jinx as she blocked another of Raven's attacks. The verbal attacks seemed to work just as well as the physical ones since Raven's movements became more and more erratic.

"...and you're going to croak like a frog!" finished Gizmo, his backpack now sporting huge spider legs.

Raven looked up in surprise as a plasma cannon sprouted from the boy's backpack_ 'I let my emotions get the better of me,_´ was her last thought before the cannon fired and knocked her back. Robin was thankfully behind her so he was able to cushion her fall. As Beastboy saw his two companions go down, he charged at Gizmo and Jinx, changing into a wild elephant and ready to stomp some H.I.V.E agents. The charge was short lived as he felt himself being lifted into the air by two huge hands.

"Mammoth's gonna make you extinct."

_'Even I'm not that lame with my joooookes!'_ he wanted to shout, as he was tossed and slammed like a beach volley ball. He would have crushed Robin as he fell but thankfully he morphed back to human form; the two of them still flew several feet back due to Mammoth's tremendous strength.

"Oooooh. Is it just me or are we getting our butts kicked?" moaned Beast Boy.

"It's just you," snapped Raven and Robin. They turned towards their opponents ready to resume the fight when they heard the sound of metal bending.

"Huh? Whats that?" asked Mammoth out loud. The sound came from the wreckage of the bus; its hulk slowly moving upwards as it was being lifted. In a city with super heroes, this would have been quite normal but the one who was lifting didn't have any costume, nor did he look like a super hero. He was bruised all over and had numerous cuts over his body, but . All he had was a rather damaged pair of jeans, a torn shirt, and a dark read scarf wrapped around the lower part of his face, making it hard to determine his identity. His eyes also glowed with an unearthly light as he flipped the bus on its side, collapsing to his knees as his strength suddenly left him, panting in exhaustion.

"I definitely do not wish to go through that again," he gasped between breaths. He took a quick scan of the area, noticing the pale girl he had pushed away earlier unharmed.The cyborg was missing, however, which brought a frown to Raziel's face. He shakily forced himself back on his feet, the effects of having a bus dropped on him still

Raven almost sighed in relief as she saw the boy emerge alive from the bus. How he survived, she would have to ask him later but for now she could concentrate on the task at hand. Turning around, she readied the spells for her attack against the H.I.V.E but instead came face to face with a plasma bolt headed her way, again knocking her several feet into the air.

Beastboy was also hit and landed almost next to Raven who was already recovering somewhat from the blast and struggling to her feet. This left Robin as the only Titan left standing before the three H.I.V.E agents.

"This isn't over," taunted Robin, as he got into his traditional martial arts stance. He charged at Mammoth, intent on taking out the bigger threat first. Jumping up into the air, Robin tried to do a double kick at the huge mutant's head but was immediately stopped by his huge hands; one already larger than his own head and currently gripping it with considerable force.

"Was that supposed to scare me?" sneered Mammoth, as he slowly added more pressure to Robin's head, causing the smaller teen to grunt in pain.

"No, but this is!" yelled another voice. Raziel saw Robin get caught in mid-attack and rushed in to help. With a jump that would make a pole vaulter proud, he dived down and gave a powerful punch to Mammoth's jaw, causing the giant to loosen his grip on the boy wonder. Robin took advantage of the distraction and freed himself from the hand, landing only a few feet away from his somewhat tattered rescuer.

"Are you all right?" asked Robin, eyeing the injuries that Raziel sported from the bus.

"Never better," he replied, although his knees were still shaking from the effects of his injuries. "Although I think I may have made our rather large friend angry."

And angry he was. Rubbing his jaw, he gave a glare which would have made normal people run in fear. "Not bad, runt. I almost felt that. But that's the only shot you'll get," he sneered. Mammoth slammed both fists into the ground, causing a shockwave which rocketed towards the two teens. Gizmo then swooped out from behind him, firing his plasma cannon as well. Robin and Raziel struggled to maintain their footing as the combined shockwave felt like a magnitude 7 earth quake. Jinx however, had other ideas, as she let lose waves of pink energy, causing the already unstable road to collapse completely.

Raven watched in mute shock as her leader and the bystander fell into the newly created hole in the street. She rushed over to the side of the hole and peered into the murky sewerage; no sign of Robin or the boy could be seen. Concentrating on her powers, she tried to search for either of the two. Beastboy also made his way to the hole, believing that 'no way Robin would be taken out just like that.' His optimism soon turned to disbelief when a black bubble of energy floated out of the sewers, dissipating only to reveal Robin's belt. The belt fell into Raven's hands, a look of shock still on her face. That shock was soon replaced by her cool expression as she eyed the three H.I.V.E agents slowing closing in on them.

'_Outnumbered, and outgunned_,' she thought. "We need to fall back," she commanded. Grabbing Beastboy's arm, she wrapped her and her passenger in a dark dome of energy and phased through the ground, disappearing from their attackers sight.

"Hah! Those snot-nosed dweebs ran away!" sneered Gizmo as he landed on the ground.

"So what do we do now? Headmistress told us to destroy them and they could be anywhere by now," replied Mammoth.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the GIANT 'T' standing in the middle of the bay?" Jinx answered sarcastically. The other two agents simply looked towards the bay with blank expressions on their faces.

"Oh." "Ah."

Jinx simply shook her head in embarrassment and dragged her two team mates towards Titans Tower.

-----

Raven entered the tower with Beastboy leaning on her. She didn't actually teleport back to the tower as she assumed their opponents believed but her powers allowed her and anyone with her to phase through any material without much problem. 'If they think I can teleport, the better,' she thought.

Beastboy on the other hand was injured after his altercation with the immovable object known as Mammoth and a small plasma cannon wielding boy. He limped over to a chair and sat down, a look of disbelief still on his face as he rubbed his injured leg. Raven noticed this and placed her hands over the leg. As her hands glowed with a pale blue light, Beastboy felt the pain slowly become non-existant.

"Who knew we had a doctor in the house," he joked, hoping to lighten the situation. "Thanks, Raven." He lowered his head again as he struggled with the thoughts running in his head. After several minutes of awkward silence, he finally spoke. "Tell me that didn't just happen…"

"It did happen. And we have can't change the truth, no matter how much we dislike it," replied Raven. She wanted to rage against the injustice of it all but she knew that she had to maintain a tight reign on her emotions. The sound of the main doors opening interrupted her train of thought however, as Cyborg and Starfire entered the tower.

"Maybe you all should call me fly-boy. I was half-way to Gotham City before Star blasted that thing off my back," joked Cyborg, looking pleased that his team mates made it back safely. "So what'd I miss? C'mon, give me the play-by-play. I gotta know how we kicked their butts."

Beastboy and Raven couldn't look their team mate in the eye. Neither of them could find the words to say they actually lost the fight. Starfire however, did not notice their discomfort but noticed something else.

"Where is Robin?" she asked. Her eyes scanned the whole lobby area but could find neither hair nor hide of the boy wonder. She trained her eyes on Raven as she waited for an answer.

Feeling all eyes on her, Raven shifted slightly in place. 'It is pointless to hesitate,' she thought. Taking a deep breath, she looked Starfire straight in the eye and told her what no one wanted to hear, holding out the only remains they could find of Robin.

"No, No, NO! How can he be missing? You did not search hard enough!" she cried. "We have to go back and search for him!"

"C'mon, Star. This is Robin we're talking about. He's probably fine and is just...late in getting back. Yeah. That's it'" replied Beastboy. Although the look in his eyes said otherwise, Starfire felt somewhat better with that comment. Her eyes lit up as when she heard a loud knocking at the door. She rushed to open it, ready to welcome Robin with open arms.

"Robin!" she called. Starfire barely made it to the front door when the whole structure was blown off its hinges, knocking her back several feet. The rest of the Titans shielded their face from the flying shrapnel as the smoke from the explosion continued to fill the lobby. As the smoke cleared, three figures, began to come into focus; a fairly lithe girl, a small boy, and a huge mound of muscle.

Beastboy looked on in despair as he came face to face again with the ones who disposed of Robin. "Oh no..."

"Oh yes," replied the pink haired goth girl as she and her team mates prepared to rid the world of the Titans.

-----

"So where are we exactly, again?"

Robin looked back at his new traveling companion. When they fell into the sewers back in the city, the current swept them quite some distance away. When they came to, they were in a fairly dark and huge underground network of tunnels. Although Robin lacked his utility belt, he still had a few tricks up his sleeve and produced several flares. The two were now making their way back to the surface. "These are some of the old subway lines that the old Jump City used to have. I guess with all the reconstruction and development in the city they were forgotten."

Raziel took in the sights like they were the first time he saw such things, which they were considering he had no memories prior to the night before. The whole tunnel seemed vaguely...nostalgic. Putting it off as his memories playing with him, he continued to follow Robin as they tried to find their way out of the sewers.

"How do we know we're headed in the right direction? I can't make hide or hair of any direction," asked Raziel.

Robin held up his patented tracking device, a red dot flashing on its screen. "I have a fix on the Titans Tower with this. As long as we follow this, we'll get out." As the two of them continued on their exodus from the tunnels, Robin's curiosity finally got the better of him.

"Who are you, anyway? I remember you from the other night in the alley, but it looks like you've made more than a full recovery. Well, at least you did. Now you look like someone dropped a bus on you."

"Haha. Very funny," he retorted, knowing Robin was just trying to lighten the mood. "Well, since we are stuck here for the moment, I might as well tell you what I know. I'm not really sure who I am anymore, much less what I am now," he replied morosely. As they continued walking he recounted to Robin his awakening in the alley, up to the point of the fight with the thugs.

Robin looked analytically at the teen in front of him. Nothing seemed too out of place in the story and he did fight against the H.I.V.E agents. "We'll see what we can do about your memory. Raven's pretty good with her powers. Maybe she can do something about your missing memory. It's the least we could do after getting you caught in the cross fire. Although I seem to recall someone jumping into fight without thinking things through," replied Robin with a smirk.

"I could say the same about you for trying to take on the three of them alone," retorted Raziel. Robin merely smirked as lead the two towards what was hopefully the exit.

"Are you sure your friends are all right? Those 'hive' agents seemed to be very coordinated."

"I'm sure they're fine. We've faced worse before," answered Robin.

"Yes, but have you faced them as a team?"

Robin merely remained silent with that question. True, they only formed the Teen Titans recently and really haven't had a chance to really train as a team. "There should be an exit right above us," he replied, changing the topic immediately. Up ahead, they saw a steel door which looked like it had been sealed for decades. Robin immediately ran up to the door and tried opening it to no avail; it was too rusted and the parts must have gotten stuck over the years.

"Let me try," said Raziel. Grasping the handle of the door, he braced himself against the frame of the door as he pulled with all his might; still the door wouldn't budge.

"Maybe I should..." Robin failed to finish his sentence as Raziel's eyes began to glow again. As the glow intensified, the sound of metal straining grew louder and louder. Robin wisely moved to the side as his companion's eyes grew as bright as the time he lifted the bus.

"RRRrraaaaagh!" With a primal yell, Raziel ripped the door off its hinges, letting the light of the setting sun into the dark corridor. Throwing the door to the side, he gave a tired look at Robin who simply had his arms folded across his chest.

"I was going to suggest using this," holding up a small cutting torch," to open the door but old fashioned is good."

As they made their way out of the sewers, they could hear some voices arguing in the distance.

-----

"Perhaps I could be of some assistance..." asked a gentle voice.

"I GOT it."

"But you are so damaged and..."

"I SAID I GOT IT!" yelled an angry Cyborg, who was rightly angry after suffering two losses in one day.

"Hey! She was only trying to help! What is your problem?" defended Beastboy.

"What do you think?! We got KICKED out of our house, a pint-sized poindexter took me for a joy ride, and IN CASE you haven't NOTICED, I JUST BECAME LEFT HANDED!"

"ENOUGH!" Raven finally intervened. "We need to control our emotions."

"OR WHAT? OUR BAD VIBES WILL KEEP YOU FROM MEDITATING?!"

"What, giving up so soon?" replied an unknown voice.

"WHO'S THERE?" yelled Cyborg, as he got into a fighting stance. The rest of the Titans also got battle ready and faced the source of the voice, only to find the boy from earlier stepping out of the shadows, the red scarf still wrapped around his face.

"Is this all the Teen Titans have to offer? I thought they were made of sterner stuff than this."

"WELL YOU THOUGHT WRONG!" answered Cyborg. "I WAS BEATEN BY A SMALL KID, BB WAS BUTT-WHIPPED BY A STICK GIRL, AND STAR AND RAE LOST TO SOMEONE MORE MUSCLE THAN BRAINS!" Finally getting his frustrations out, Cyborg looked back at their former home, a look of defeat on his face. "It's over. We lost. The Teen Titans are through. All that's left are losers."

"Why?" asked Raziel. "I don't see any losers here. I see (looks at Starfire) a gentle soul with the will and power to defend, (looks at Cyborg) a soul which will never give up, (looks at Beastboy) a soul which knows when to play and when to fight, (looks at Raven, his gaze lingering a little bit longer than needed) and a soul which will always fight against evil."

Cyborg and Beastboy simply continue to look at the tower, feeling somewhat embarrassed that someone who knows they lost still believes in their ability to win. Raven is more suspicious though, as she gives Raziel a glare, irritated that this outsider has the gall to lecture them.

Starfire looks down at the ground, shivering slightly from her unplanned swim in the bay. "I wish Robin were here," she wished out loud.

"Who says I'm not?" replies Robin as he steps out from behind Raziel. "Besides, it's not over till I say its over."

-----

"Slade's gonna have kittens when he finds out we whipped the Titans and took their stinking tower," gloated Gizmo as he had his robots mount Cyborg's right arm on the wall.

"Not to mention Robin's favorite fashion statement," says Jinx, referring to the belt now around her waist. "Ugh. But that's the only thing fashionable around here," she adds, a blue cloak in her hands.

"Yeah...munch...even their food...munch...is waaay out of date," adds Mammoth between several bites of the blue furry food.

As the H.I.V.E agents continue to ransack the Titans tower, they fail to notice small camera now protruding from Cyborg's right arm's middle finger. It scans the whole room, focusing on each of the three invaders to the tower.

Does she have anything that's not blue? asks Jinx as she tries on one of Raven's cloaks.

"I've got a fix on them, Robin," says Cyborg as he takes note of each of the positions of the H.I.V.E agents. "Gizmo's near a control console, Mammoth's in the pantry, and Jinx is about 5 feet south of the fridge." '_I don't think I'll mention the cloak to Raven. I'm not that cruel,_' thinks Cyborg.

"Alright Titans, get ready," says Robin. Each of the Titans nod as they take their positions outside the tower. Raziel moves towards one of the piles of steel laying on the roof but an arm on his shoulder stops him in mid-stride.

"Just WHERE do you think you're going?" asks Raven.

"I may not be a Titan, but I still owe them a debt for the bus," he answers.

"You're a civilian. This is dangerous. You could get hurt and we can't keep protecting..." she is interrupted by the sound of creaking metal as she sees a steel pipe crushed in Raziel's hand and his eyes glowing with an eerie light.

"Riiiight. Next?"

Raven was about to retort when her communicator sounded. Raven, are you in position? We've got the coordinates.

"Yes, but what about Raziel?" she asked.

He's with us on this one. I promised him a crack at H.I.V.E. and I think he can take care of himself. Anyway, get ready. Cyborg says he's almost got the systems online. Raven shut of her communicator and gave a glare at Raziel who simply raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Just stay out of my way," she snaps. Closing her eyes, she visualizes the area where Jinx is located and chants the words which calls forth her dark power. As her eyes open, they glow with a bright white light.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"

-----

"What the hairball?!" Gizmo doesn't get to finish his sentence as Cyborg's arm fires off some control wires which wrap around him. The arm then proceeds to drag Gizmo around the room before firing off some booster rockets, propelling it and its passenger through the ventilation system.

Jinx looks on in curiosity and amusement as their diminutive disappears from the room. She is startled out of her curiosity as a black claw grabs her and pulls her through the ceiling. Mammoth turns and sees his team mate disappear into the roof. All of a sudden, the doors leading to the roof open up and he feels himself blasted through it by a green bolt of energy.

Jinx is the first to appear on the roof, the dark energy depositing her there in an instant. Gizmo bursts out of the ventilation and is unceremoniously dropped onto the kneeling Jinx, knocking the two of them to the ground. Just as they are struggling to get to their feet, the see Mammoth blasted through the fire exit, landing right in front of them.

"Sorry to interrupt the victory celebration," says a familiar voice as a belt flies into his hand. "But like I said, this isn't over."

"Oh yeah..." Gizmo's stops mid-taunt as he sees five people now standing behind Robin, each with a determined look on their face.

"Yeah. It's just getting started," finishes Cyborg.

The three H.I.V.E. agents get to their feet, eager to show the Titans how they got beaten the first time. They each readied themselves as they moved into formation.

"Attack pattern alpha!" commands Jinx, as she fires of her pink bolts at the group. The Titans scatter as the bolt strikes the floor they were on, causing an massive explosion.

Beastboy lands directly in front of Mammoth whose hands are already in a downward strike ready to crush the shape shifter. He closes his eyes, expecting to be nothing more than a green smear on the roof. When nothing happens, he opens them to see the unknown teen successfully holding back Mammoth's hands.

"Hello, my rather large friend. Remember me?" he smirks, as his eyes begin glowing.

Seeing that Mammoth is now preoccupied, Beastboy rushes off to help his team mates.

Cyborg and Starfire on the other hand were in a deadly dance against Jinx. He spell bolts causing massive damage wherever they hit. Starfire let loose several of her star bolts against her who simply avoided them with the grace of a practiced gymnast. Seeing that she was currently out gunned, Jinx runs into the reconstructed area of the tower to find a defensive position; Starfire hot on her trail.

Cyborg backs away slowly from where Jinx ran. He saw Mammoth occupied against the new kid which left Gizmo somewhere else. He backed up against a large water tank, ready if Gizmo struck. Gizmo, however, was hiding on top of the tank and jumped onto Cyborg's back; ready for a repeat performance of his joyride.

"Hey, robo-wimp. Feel like getting hacked?" he taunted as he activated his multipurpose tool.

"Nope. How about you?" he replied. "ROBIN, NOW!"

Robin jumped out of the shadows he was hiding in and tossed an electro static discharge device at Gizmo's backpack. As it attached itself, a large electrical charge was sent directly into the backpack, shocking both the backpack and the user.

"AAAAAH! Cut it out! You're going to crash my whole system," yelled Gizmo frantically. It was too late, however as the device did its work. The pack's booster system fired launching the small boy in an uncontrolled flight around the tower's air space. Screams of 'Get it off me'could be heard as he flew around.

Starfire continued her attack on Jinx as she ran through the unfinished areas. It seemed as though Jinx was successfully avoiding the star bolts but Starfire soon stopped chasing her as she called out to a hidden team mate.

"Beastboy! Go!"

Beastboy lept from his perch and morphed into a monkey, landing directly on Jinx face. The shock of having something green, furry, and to be honest smelly on her face, caused Jinx to launch several spell bolts everywhere. Finally catching her senses, she grabbed the offending mammal and tossed him away.

"Your luck just ran out," joked Beastboy as he morphed back into a human. Jinx looked on in confusion before she heard the creaking metal and steel around her; her spell bolts hitting several of them and causing them to collapse. She screamed as the steel pillars began crashing on top of her.

Raziel and Raven were busy distracting the H.I.V.E powerhouse, neither having enough strength to take him on physically. Just as he dodged another of the giant's slow punches, he heard Jinx scream in the distance. He turns towards the source of the scream and sees the steel structure beginning to collapse. Grabbing another of Mammoth's punches, he flips him on his back in a judo-like move then runs towards the Jinx.

"Where are you going?" shouts Raven as Mammoth gets back on his feet and goes after her instead.

Jinx in the mean time is barely avoiding the falling debris. She trips over one of the steel pipes laying on the floor however, placing her in the path of one of the larger pieces of falling steel and concrete. Just as the piece is about to hit her, she feels two strong arms lift her up and move her out of harms way. She looks at her sudden rescuer only to see an unknown face with glowing eyes.

"Are you all right?" asks a smooth voice.

"Uhhhh..."

Raziel looks puzzled at the pink haired teen. _'Maybe she got hit before I got her out,' _he muses. He takes a closer look at her, causing a slight blush to rise to her face. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he set her down on her feet like a knight would set down a lady. "You know, if it wasn't for the fact that your large friend nearly crushed me with a bus I'd find you quite attractive," he says, causing the blush on her face to color her pale skin. "But, you might want to duck now," he finishes, as he jumps out of the fallen debris.

Jinx looks on in puzzlement until she hears a familiar scream which seems to be getting louder.

"AAAAAAAAH!" yells Gizmo as his broken backpack crashes him into Jinx for the second time in the day. Mammoth soon follows, having been kicked by Robin. He lands on his two team mates which easily pin them down with his massive weight.

"Crud, I'm calling Slade." Gizmo barely has time to activate the communicator when Robin hoists him up out of the dog pile and holds him face to face.

"Who is Slade," he asks threateningly.

"Wouldn't you like to know, barf-brain."

Robin's eyes narrow at Gizmo, causing the smaller teen to flinch only slightly. _'I'll have to remember to ask Bruce to show me how he does that glare again,'_ he thinks to himself. Tossing Gizmo back to the ground, he turns towards his other team mates as he makes his way back to his room.

"Call the authorities to pick them up and get them out of my sight."

-----

"I assure you, such failures are not tolerated within the H.I.V.E.," apologizes the head mistress, her face a mask devoid of emotion. "Once the agents have been retrieved from the authorities they will be disciplined...strictly disciplined."

Slade steps out of the shadows, his body language betraying nothing. "Actually," begins Slade, "your agents served my plans quite well. I never expected them to succeed. They were merely messengers." Slade lifts a remote control and activates several monitors in front of him. "And the message has been received." Robin's face appears on all the monitors, each of them repeating one phrase caught on video.

Who is Slade?

-----

"NOOOOO! This is the worst thing that could ever happen! My tunes have been...alphabetized..." Beastboy complains. "How am I ever going to find anything?!" he rants as he searches for all his CDs.

"They went into my room," drones Raven, a look of more than mild irritation on her face. "No one should EVER enter my room."

The last comment elicits a shiver from Cyborg. He recalled the pink haired girl trying on Raven's cloak. It was bad enough she found out the H.I.V.E agents entered her room. He didn't want to be around if she found out her clothes were used as well.

"Someone has disposed of all our blue furry food!" yelps Starfire, the fridge now devoid of all mutated matter.

"I can't believe it! The whole place is cleaned and I still can't find the remote!"

Robin whistles to get Cyborg's attention; pointing to the remote control on the table.

"I guess I'll be going now," Raziel says as he makes his way towards the exit.

"No, wait! We must thank you for your assistance against the H.I.V.E agents. I will go make the pudding of gratefulness!" Starfire replies gleefully only to stop suddenly. "Oh. I forgot we no longer have any ingredients to make the pudding," she sighs, eliciting sighs of relief from her team mates.

"No, it's all right. I just needed to vent some frustrations out on them," declined Raziel.

"Oh. I am sorry I could not prepare the pudding for you. Where are you going, then?" she aks.

"I guess anywhere fate leads me," was his cryptic response.

"You're not going anywhere," stated Robin. "You told me in the tunnels that you had no memory of who you were or where you came from. That's why we saw you in the alley the other night."

Raziel opened his mouth to object when his stomach spoke for him, a loud growl which caused him to blush slightly in embarrassment.

"I cannot allow my new friend to wander the dark streets alone, and hungry with no place to turn. We have many empty rooms here, yes? Can he not stay for just a few days?"

"I couldn't impose," he replied. Raziel looked at the rest of the Titans faces. While not as eager as Starfire, they all seemed agreeable to her suggestion. Starfire looked at each of her team mates waiting for any objections. Finding none, she immediately grabbed him and pulled him towards the door.

"Come. We must find you some food and new clothing and..." was Starfire's cheerful statement as she dragged a shocked Raziel.

"Yeah, dude. I have to introduce you to the wonderful world of tofu!" added Beastboy.

"Uh, uh. If he's gonna be eating, its gonna be meat!" countered Cyborg'

"Tofu!" "Meat!" "Tofu!" "Meat!"

Robin watched his team mates with a smirk as they dragged off Raziel, an image of a deer caught in headlights coming mind. "Looks like we'd better make sure he makes it back in once piece," states Robin jokingly.

Raven merely shrugs and floats off after them, the image of Raziel being the focus of Starfire's attention bringing a tiny smile to her lips.

* * *

To be continued.

Notes: Finally! I got the chapter out! Wheee! Now I can get started on the next installment. Stay tuned. :)


	5. People change

**Souls Entwined**

Disclaimer: Teen Titans and Legacy of Cain belong to their own respective creators. Again, I'd like to thank all those who have reviewed my story. It's because of you guys that I'm inspired to continue writing. Sorry for taking extra long this time. Moving problems, getting a new job and all have really eaten into my free time. Hopefully now that I'm settled down I can continue all my stories.

JuniorBins – Thanks. I'm glad you like it.

Soul-Shard-Wielder – As you requested, here's the next chapter.

spartandude87 – Nice to know you're still around. Thanks for the vote of confidence.

Darthmatt005 – I've been toying around with the idea for someone to plug into the Teen Titans universe and since I just came from playing with LoK: Defiance, Raziel just had to get in.

RedMageNeko – Thanks. I hope I can live up to your expectations of the story.

Wanderer3 – I'll see what I can whip up .

wordbearer – Your continues criticism and comments are very much welcome. I'll try to be sure to "keep up the good work."

Thanks again to all my readers. Now, on with the story.

'_thoughts'_

"Words"

**People change**

The night was quiet. Not a creature was stirring in the area. In fact, it could be said that it was quite the romantic night. The stars were out, it was a clear sky, and no one could see if there was anything amiss in the surrounding darkness. A nimble figure however, could be seen moving in the shadows. It ran alongside a wall, expertly sticking to it like glue.

"Hmmm. It should be around here somewhere," said a muffled voice. The figure ran a gloved hand along the wall, feeling for something hidden. "Aha," it cheered. Pressing a button, the wall opens up to reveal an underground passage way. Heading down the tunnel, it comes across a large vault; the doors easily dwarfing its relatively small stature. The figure moves closer to the door, searching for the control panel but unfortunately finding none.

"Oh well, there's always the old fashioned approach." The figure's eyes glow with a purple light before emitting a high powered beam of energy at the door, easily cutting through the metal like butter. The door collapses, no longer supported by the steel frame, revealing a brightly lit vault filled with green gems. Half expecting alarms to go off, the figure looks around in surprise as not a single light or sound activates. It steps into the vault, the bright lights revealing the darkly dressed individual to be female. Admiring the mountain of gems before her, she takes out a large bag and starts filling them with as many of the gems as she can carry. Once full, she gives a mournful look at the remaining jewels left behind in the vault.

"No matter," she says to herself. "The mines are FAR from being depleted. Plus these gems will keep me in luxury for a long time." She retraces her steps out of the vault back into the garden. Now in the open, she takes off into the sky, slowly disappearing into space. Unknown to her, while there were no alarms present in the vault, there were dozens of security cameras; all of which caught her actions on tape.

-----

"Whoohooo! Yeah!" shouts Robin as the final pattern of lights dance across the sky. "That was amazing!" Starfire watches in rapt attention at the fireworks before settling her gaze on Robin.

"Earth is full of amazing things," she replies cryptically. Robin on the other hand, fails to notice her lingering stare as he watches the fading lights in the distance.

"Best planet I've ever been to," he answers, completely oblivious to the fact Starfire wasn't looking at the fireworks. As the two wait patiently for the ferris wheel to complete its revolution, the other Titans enjoy the games the carnival has to offer.

"This is pointless," states a monotone voice.

"C'mon Rae, we HAVE to try these games. Who knows, we might actually get a prize for you. No, we WILL get a prize for you," promise Beastboy, a manic look in his eyes as he races through out the carnival in search of a game to beat.

"Oh...joy," she replies sarcastically. She is about to follow her green companion when she notices their new 'member' staring intently at one of the attractions.

Raziel was currently in front of a booth with several bottles laid down on the ground. He is startled out of his reverie by a familiar presence behind him.

"Don't tell me you're also going to win me a prize," she comments nonchalantly.

"Actually, I was wondering what exactly this is," he answers.

"DUDE! You mean you don't know?" says Beastboy, appearing suddenly behind the two.

"Yeah," adds Cyborg. "This is one of the most common games at carnivals!"

Raziel shakes his head in mild embarrassment, his amnesia apparently missing more than just his past.

"Well now," gloats Beastboy, puffing out his chest, "let me show you how it's done."

Several throws and quite a number of dollars short later, Beastboy throws up his hands in frustration. "ARGH! It can't be done! This game is rigged!"

"I could have done it if you just let me," replied Cyborg. Beastboy wasn't listening however as he begins to mope, his pocket now feeling significantly lighter.

"Tell ya what, how about I let one of ya have one free toss," replies the booth owner. "Your green friend here's already given me so much money even I'm feeling guilty," he says, grabbing Raziel's hand and placing a single ring into it.

Raziel looks at the ring and then at Beastboy, hoping to get some hints at what to do. Beastboy however, was far too depressed to even notice Raziel's silent call for help.

"Just throw it at a bottle so we can leave already," states Raven.

"If you say so." Giving a shrug, he tosses the ring towards the bottles, the ring finding its way around a very specific one. _'Hmm, I wasn't even aiming for that one,´ _he mused.

"Congratulations! You won the grand prize!" cheers the owner. _'Finally,I can get rid of this doll. No one seems to want this one, anyway.'_ he thinks, as he hands the giant stuffed doll to Raziel. Raziel on the other hand, has no idea what to do with a doll half his size. Turning to the only girl in the group, he hands the doll to her. "If I remember Beastboy's promise earlier, I believe this is yours, lady Raven," he adds, a smirk on his face as Raven frowns at the 'lady' title.

Beastboy's mood brightens immediately as the words 'Prize' and 'Raven.' "See, Raven? I told you we'd win you a prize." His mood dampens somewhat as he gets a look at what it is. "Uh, I thought we won the giant chicken?"

Raven looks at the doll in her hands. Clearly it was somewhat larger than the other dolls but unlike the rest of them, it wasn't a chicken. "A giant raven. Like I wasn't expecting that. I must be the luckiest girl in the world," she drones sarcastically. _'It IS nice I suppose,'_ she thinks to herself.

Seeing as that Raven didn't seem all too upset with the doll, Raziel gives a small smile; unnoticed since he had the cloak wrapped around his face but his eyes showed it all. Raven looks away, a slight blush on the face knowing that she was being stared at by the three boys. The silence is broken when Robin comes running up to them, a serious look on his face.

"Titans, we've got a problem!"

"What's the problem?" asks Cyborg.

"Yeah. And where's Starfire?" adds Beastboy.

"That's the problem," he states.

The Titans spring into action, heading towards where Robin last saw their team mate. As they make it to the pier, they see a frantically flying Starfire being chased by what can only be described as a mechanical squid. She fires off several star bolts which bounce off harmlessly from its metallic hide.

"Please, no more chasing now!" she yells, hoping her pursuer would actually listen. Seeing no response, she tries once more to outrun the machine. She flies past her team mates at an amazing speed, the drone hot on her trail.

"Who's her new best friend?" jokes Beastboy.

"I don't know, but I'm dieing to meet him," answers Robin as his eyes narrow at the attacker.

Starfire continues to dodge the mechanical squid's attempts to catch her, using the fair grounds as an obstacle course to try to shake it off her tail. Gaining a little distance, she uses that advantage to fly past her team mates as each of them try to stop the rampaging machine. Only Cyborg is successful as he grabs the tentacles, halting the forward movement of the device.

"I (grunt) don't know what you did to make it mad, Star (grunt) but it wouldn't hurt to apologize!" says Cyborg, his servos straining against the machine's propulsion system.

"I am...sorry?" she tries with some uncertainty. The machine doesn't acknowledge her apology as it shakes of Cyborg and charges at her. Before it has a chance to recapture its prey, Robin jumps in front of Starfire, blocking its path. Taking his bo-staff in hand, he gives it a mighty swing, slamming it into what could pass as the squid's head and knocking the offending device into the sea.

"Did we just win?" asks Beastboy as he checks the sea for any sign of the machine.

"If it knows what's good for it, it'll stay down" growls Robin, sheathing his staff back into its usual location.

Raziel can only look on in awe at the control and power wielded by the Titan's leader. "Is he always this aggressive?" he asks Raven.

"Only when his friends are threatened," she replies, a faint hint of longing in her voice but too subtle for Raziel to notice.

"Remind me never to get on Robin's bad s..." Raziel stops in mid-sentence as he starts looking around him. "Raven, do you hear some...?!" His question is interrupted as the pier underneath him shatters; the drone slamming into him and taking him for an unexpected trip into the air.

"Try to find an access panel and shut it down!" yells Robin as Raziel is taken higher and higher into the air.

"Friend, Raziel!" Starfire begins to fly towards her new friend but Raziel's shout stops her in mid-flight.

"Keep back! It's after you, so don't come any closer!" Seeing that Starfire followed his instructions, Raziel begins searching the exterior of the machine for any opening. Finding none, he resorts to the tried and tested technique, 'Hit it till it stops moving.' Drawing back his fist, he puts all his strength into his punch as his fist connects with the metallic skin of the machine

**_(KLANG!)_**

"...That didn't work too well," he groans, nursing his injured hand. His punch hardly left an impression on the skin. The machine noticed its hitchhiker, however, and started flying madly around, trying to shake off the unwanted intruder; its erratic flight path now taking him back to the pier where the rest of the Titans stood. "This just is not my day," he groans.

Beastboy, who was watching the air show above suddenly noticed the sudden change in the flight plan. "Uhh, dude, I think we should move."

"Titans, duck!" yells Robin.

"I do not see any...eep!" Starfire's statement is cut mid-sentence as Robin pulls her down towards him out of Raziel's path, just barely avoiding the incoming dive. The rest of the Titans were not as quick as Robin, however, and still remained in the path of the machine.

'_NO!' _Raziel's eyes blaze with unholy light as his right arm moves of its own volition, an ethereal blade materializing briefly in his hand as it plunges into the heart of the machine, causing it to explode in a cacophony of light.

"RAZ!!!" The Teen Titans search the sky for their new goth friend as Cyborg's electronic eye scans the skies for any signs of a falling body but finds none. As he starts to scan the waves, a wet hand grasps the edge of the pier revealing a wet but otherwise alive Raziel.

"Don't cough call me RAZ," he groans, a small smile on his face. As he is pulled up onto the pier, a shaken Starfire is comforted by Robin as they observe the falling debris from the machine.

"Don't worry, Star. Whatever it was, it can't hurt you now."

The Titans head off towards the tower, the night ruined by the uninvited intruder. Raven however, stares at Raziel's retreating back as he walks beside Cyborg, an uneasy expression on her face.

"Hey, Rae! C'mon!" yells Beastboy, startling her out of her reverie. She replaces the cloak on her head and flies off after her team mates, the uneasiness she felt still at the back of her mind.

-----

"Come, friends. I shall thank you for my rescue by reciting the poem of gratitude," beams a grateful Starfire as the team and 'guest' enter the living room. A shiver runs up their spine as soon as the words leave her cheerful frame. Raziel looks on in puzzlement at his new friends' reaction. He whispers at Raven, hoping to get some insight to their twitch but understands as Starfire completes her sentence.

"...all 6,000 verses."

"I see you haven't changed a bit," interjects an unknown voice. As they turn towards the source of the voice, they see an attractive young girl, not much older than they were. Her long black hair cascaded down her shoulders, the tight silver and black outfit she wore only enhancing her body's natural curves. "When we were little, I was always the one rescuing you, little sister."

"SISTER!" cries a surprised and happy Starfire as she latches on to the taller girl.

"Starfire...air!" gasps the newcomer as she struggles against Starfire's superhuman grip.

"Sorry," she apologizes as she releases her sister.

"That's alright," she replies, straightening herself as she reaches into her pocket. "A gift for my one and only sibling," she beams.

Starfire's eyes widen as she stares at the jewel hanging from her sister's hand, it's size larger than any jem she had ever seen. "A Centauri moon jem..." Her reverie is broken as the value of the item suddenly hits her like a freight train. "How did..."

"On the Centauri moons, of course," she answers as she places the necklace around Starfire's neck, her little sister still in shock over the sudden gift. "It matches your eyes," she states jokingly.

After a few seconds of silent appreciation, Starfire remembers the other teens behind her and grabs her sister's arm. "Friends, I would like you to meet..."

"Blackfire, Starfire's OLDER sister," interrupts Blackfire as she approaches and greets each of the Titans. After greeting Robin, her eyes fall on a sixth person in the group. "Starfire didn't mention anything about you in her letters. And you are?"

Not used to being the center of attention, he gives her a wary look before finally stretching out a hand in greeting. "My name is Raz..."

"RAZIEL! This is my friend Raziel!" yells a frantic Starfire, drawing stares from the people in the room as she latches on to a very surprised teen.

Dismissing Starfire's outburst as typical Starfire personality, Blackfire turns back to the goth boy as she shakes his hand. "Well now, Raziel, that's quite a unique name. Sounds very...mysterious," she states, a certain gleam in her eyes.

"So, sister, what brings you to Earth?"

Giving Starfire a short glare, she heads off towards the couch, swinging her legs over the back as she lands perfectly in place. "I was in the quadrant. Thought I'd see if earthlings liked to party. Besides, I needed a rest. Nearly got swallowed into a black hole on the way here."

"Black hole?" "No way!" "Cool!"

Seeing that the Titans were now giving her their undivided attention, she began to narrate her exploits in her trip through the Draconis Nebulae but was interrupted by a concerned Starfire.

"The Draconis Nebulae? That region is full of black holes, sister. You know travel there is forbidden."

"Most good things in life are, little sister. Now be a dear and fetch me one of those 'sodas' you've been telling me so much about," orders Blackfire as she continues her story of her 'escapades.'

Starfire leaves the room for the soda, unaware of the silent footsteps following her. Reaching for the fridge door, she mumbles to herself, not noticing the hand that rested on her shoulder. "I see you have not changed either...eeep!" She raises her hands in defense, her starbolts ready to launch at her assailant when a familiar voice stops her in mid-toss.

"Starfire! It's me!" yelps a frantic Raziel as he ducks under Starfire's aim.

"Oh. It is you, friend Raziel. I am sorry. I did not notice you were behind me," she apologizes. "Why were you following me, if I may ask?"

"Well, science never did fascinate me. The rest of them were either too engrossed to too...unconcerned about Blackfire's story to notice me leave. Anyway, you seemed...troubled. Is everything all right?"

"Of course. Why would I not be? My older sister is here whom I have not seen in many cycles. Why would I be unhappy? Come, my sister is awaiting her first soda."

The pale teen looks at Starfire's retreating back as she leaves the kitchen, a statement too soft for her to hear leaving his lips. "I never asked if you were unhappy." With no one left in the room, Raziel headed towards the roof to watch the setting sun.

-----

"Ok, tell me again HOW I agreed to come to this party?" yelled Raziel, trying to make his voice heard over the dance music.

"You weren't complaining when I brought you here," replied Blackfire as she gyrated to the sounds, the other male Titans already dancing in the center of the floor.

"More like kidnapped," mumbled Raziel as he ducked and weaved under the swinging arms and bodies around the dance floor, slowly inching away from his 'kidnapper'. "This party is pointless," he mused out loud, suddenly realizing that a familiar voice just said the exact same words. Looking to the side, he noticed Raven with her usual scowl on her face and her arms crossed over her chest,

"Hey Rave..." before Raziel could even finish his sentence, a pale boy had already made his way to Raven's side and the two walked off to a secluded corner of the building, leaving a somewhat irritated teen standing alone. As he sighs in defeat, he hears an embarrassed voice over in the distance.

"I did not know we were supposed to bring shovels."

A crowd of people start laughing around the poor girl as she runs towards the stairs. Curious and a bit concerned, Raziel follows the not-so-human girl to the roof, finding her sitting alone and in a 'not pleasant' mood.

"Perhaps I do not belong here after all," sighs Starfire.

"If anyone should be saying that, it should be me you know," jokes Raziel as he steps out of the shadows. "After all, I'm the one who's not a Teen Titan."

"Friend Raziel, I did not notice you were there."

"Yes, I seem to have the ability to sneak up on a certain Tamaranian whenever she is brooding," he replies as he takes a seat beside her. "So, are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," she answers with a nervous laugh. "The pounding music and glaring lights are most enjoyable."

"...riiight. And I'm actually a 5,000-year old devourer of souls," he replies with a smirk.

"You are?! Are you going to eat my soul now?" she asks, visibly shaken by his statement.

"Starfire, it was a joke."

"See? I did not even know it was a joke," she laments as her head droops lower. "I don't 'rule' at video games, I can not share depressing poetry and I don't know any 'cool moves.' I am happy to see my sister but I am nothing like her."

"Starfire, no one can BE like anyone else. They can only be the best person they are. And I think your soul is perfect just the way it is," answers Raziel as he places a hand on her shoulder.

Starfire gives him a soft smile, a slight blush on her cheeks at the welcome compliment he gave her. "Raziel, why are you not as they say, 'digging' the scene with the others?"

"I don't do dancing," he replies in a monotone voice as he gives her a small scowl causing Starfire to giggle. "What's so funny?" he asks.

"The way you looked just now reminded me of Raven," she answers between giggles. "Even your taste in clothing is similar to hers," she adds, pointing to the dark shirt and slacks he borrowed from Robin.

"My clothes were still wet and it was the only thing I saw that wasn't all green and spandex," he huffs in mock anger, a small smile on his face seeing that Starfire was now feeling better. He is startled out of his musings as he hears Robin call from the staircase.

"Starfire, are you up there?" Before Robin is able to take more than a quick peek, he is immediately dragged by a now pink haired Blackfire.

"C'mon Robin, I love this song!"

Raziel notices Starfire's expression saddening again so he stands up and stretches out a hand towards her. "Lady Starfire, I believe we have a (shudder) dance to attend to."

Giggling, Starfire reaches out for the hand but is startled by something hovering behind Raziel. "EEEP!"

Raziel looks behind him and sees the familiar squid-like machine charging at Starfire. "Not again..." he mumbles in the same monotone voice as he faces the rampaging machine, eyes glowing with the familiar ethereal glow.

-----

Down below, the rest of the Titans continue to dance to the techno beat, unaware of the battle above their heads. Beastboy's animal senses however, hear a faint noise on the roof, causing him to glance up and see Starfire and Raziel going head to head with another of the purple machines.

"Cy! Starfire's in trouble!" yells Beastboy as he races towards the roof. Just as he turns towards the exit, a set of tentacles grabs him and carries him off into the distance. "Forget that! Now I'M in trouble!"

Cyborg and Raven join in the fray, freeing their green team mate from the tentacles but are suprised by a third machine which slams into Cyborg. Soon, even Raziel and Starfire fall into the main hall, all three machines now facing off against the super powered teens.

All the while, Robin and Blackfire continued to head down the stairwell, oblivious to the fighting going on around them.

"C'mon Robin, where are you going? Stay and talk to me"

"Look Blackfire," he replies, taking her arm off his, "I just want to make sure Star is ok." Just as he finishes his sentence, Raziel comes crashing through the wall beside them, apparently more angry than hurt as he slowly gets back on his feet.

"Raziel, what's going on?" asks Robin.

"Remember the machine that attacked Starfire earlier? It had _brothers_," he growls with just a hint of anger on the word brothers before charging back into the battle.

Robin runs after him but stops as he notices Blackfire just standing to the side. "Didn't you hear? Your sister is in trouble!"

"Oh. Right," she replies almost nonchalantly as she takes off the pink wig and follows Robin.

Raziel and the rest of the teens continue to battle back the machines, unfortunately doing little to no damage to them. One, however, notices all the debris being tossed at it by Raven and decides to eliminate the new threat. Raven however, is too busy with the other targets to notice it charging towards her. She only notices it too late as it is too close for her to attack or avoid. As she braces herself for impact, a glowing ball of energy slams into the device knocking it back several meters. She turns towards the source of the blast expecting to see Starfire but is surprised to see Raziel with his eyes glowing brightly.

"How did..." she begins but is cut off by Raziel's answer.

"Don't know, don't care right now. We need to protect Starfire." Running past Raven, he jumps through the hole Starfire was thrown through only to see her get carried off in a garbage bin. He chases after the bin but stops as several bird-a-rangs fly past him and cut off the tentacles holding Starfire trapped.

"Teen Titans, GO!" yells Robin and Cyborg. The machines, now realizing that they were now fighting an organized team, calculated retreat was a good option. Blackfire decides otherwise as beams of energy leap from her eyes and destroy the pods before they can escape.

"Oh yeah!" yells Cyborg as the last of the pods explodes. "Good times!"

"Yeah, nice shooting Tex," jokes Beastboy.

"Very nice," adds Raven, giving the newcomer one of her rare compliments.

"How did you know where to hit them?" asks Robin, the ease at which the machines were defeated nagging at the back of his mind.

Raziel looks at Blackfire with the same curious expression on his face as he kneels down and picks up small debris from the broken device.

"Uhh, lucky guess?" she shrugs.

"We could use luck like that," replies Cyborg. "Maybe you ought to join the team."

"Me? A Teen Titan? I...I'd be honored," she gushes as Starfire pokes her head out of the trash can, shattering whatever high spirits she just gained a few minutes ago.

"Yeah. I mean, the way you took out those robots! whooosh! And those eye beam! btzzzt! That was so cool," says Beastboy, adding sound effects to his 're-enactment' of Blackfire's powers.

Soon the conversation degenerated to who between Cyborg and Beastboy would challenge Blackfire on the Game Station 2™. As the boys headed back to the Tower with Blackfire, Raven and Raziel were left with helping Starfire out of the trash bin and cleaning up whatever dirt they could remove from her.

"Thank you for your assistance but I will return to the tower now," says Starfire as she flies off bravely hiding tears which threatened to fall from her eyes.

Raziel gives her one last concerned look before facing the girl beside him, a small smirk on his face. "So, how was tall pale and skinny? Was he interesting?"

"First of all, we were just talking not that it's any of your business," she retorts sarcastically. "Second, don't try to change the subject. You still haven't answered my question. I thought that what happened at the dock was just my imagination but when you...'_I can't believe I'm saying this_'...saved me from getting hit it finally dawned on me," she adds as she points an accusing finger at Raziel. "Those are the same kind of powers I have. Who are you really and how are you using them?"

"It's like you're reading my mind," he jokes. Failing to get a reaction out the beautiful goth (_'Did I just think that?' _he wonders), Raziel raises a hand and tries to call forth the power that he used earlier. When nothing happens he turns his gaze back to Raven, a sad expression on his face. "I would like nothing more than to tell you how I got this or who I am. As it is, I don't even know WHAT I am anymore," he states as he clenches his hand into a fist. "All I see are flashes of places I don't remember visiting, people I've never seen before, and things which no person should ever see. Robin said you might be able help me," he continues as he relaxes his grip. "I'm still waiting on that offer, you know."

After a few minutes of silence, Raven's voice finally breaks the stalemate. "Robin may be leader but these are my powers. I still don't trust you enough," she states before flying back to the tower.

"Not enough. Meaning you trust me a little," Raziel says to no one in particular, a small smile on his face. As he starts off towards 'home', Raven's flight suddenly brought a forgotten memory to mind. He runs off towards the pier, hoping the memory was still correct.

Later that night, a slim figure silently made its way across the Titan's Tower headed towards the roof. As the figure exited the tower, the light of the moon revealed a red-headed Titan carrying whatever possessions she had in a small backpack.

"Earth is such a beautiful place I will miss it dearly," she says as she looks up at the moon. Taking one last look at the tower, a feeling of sadness overcomes her as she remembers all the things she experienced since she joined the Titans. "I will even miss Beastboy's jokes and Raven's depressing cafes. Most of all I will miss..." She stops as she wipes away a tear that makes its way down her cheek. "They will probably not miss me. She will be a better Titan than I ever was." Just as she begins her ascent into the heavens, a voice calls out to her from the darkness.

"Are you leaving without even saying goodbye?"

-----

"Blackfire, where are you going?" asks a returning Raziel as the dark-haired Tamaranian headed towards the elevator.

"Oh...uh...well, just outside for some air. I don't like being cooped up too long and need to fly from time to time," she replies before ducking out of sight.

"That was...weird," says Raziel out loud. Filing that away for something to think about later, he returns to the task at hand. After returning to the Tower, he had finally worked up the courage to take on what Beastboy said would be the most dangerous of all tasks. He makes his way across the dark corridor, aware of the possible danger that lurked at his destination. As he approached it, he could feel the nervousness and anxiety claw at him, his senses crying out 'danger.' Fighting the urge to run, he slowly raised a hand and with a firm resolve...

Knock knock

After several moments of silence, the door slowly slid open to reveal a pale hand, the owner of said hand glaring at the intruder with a look that could kill.

"What do you want?" asks a cool voice.

"My powers," replies Raziel. "You said that my powers were similar to yours. What did you mean by that? Do you know what they are?"

Raven narrows her eyes at the boy in front of her, a part of her wanting to tell him about her powers yet another part kept on reminding her of where those powers actually came from and the possible connection with her own. "I...it's not for you to know," she finally answers, listening to the latter voice. _'This is my problem and no one ever should have to deal with them besides me,'_ she adds silently to herself.

"I see. Well, at the very least..." His reply is cut short as Cyborg's voice comes in over Raven's communicator.

"Raven. BB. Robin's homing device just went active. He needs help."

"I'm on it," replies Raven. Placing her cloak on, she phases through the building using her dark powers, leaving Raziel the only occupant in the Tower.

Seeing as the door was left open, he tries to peek into the open doorway when Raven's face suddenly phases in right in front of him.

"No one goes into my room," she states with a finality before disappearing again into the darkness.

"I guess I'll wait outside then," says Raziel to himself, unwilling to face whatever Raven has planned for those who violate her domain.

-----

After several boring and uninteresting minutes, the Titans finally return to the Tower, Starfire heads to the roof, a sad expression on her face. Robin follows her while Cyborg and Beastboy return to their own rooms, the sun already rising in the horizon. Raven makes her way back to her room only to find a sleeping Raziel beside her door, to his side a familiar stuffed animal with a note attached. She picks up the note and reads the message left for her.

_Hello Raven._

_I know we aren't exactly on the best of terms and maybe we never will be. I still stand by my words; I truly cannot remember anything about my past or myself but I believe you may have the key or at least be of some help in discovering who I really am. _

_Please also consider this as an apology for trying to enter your room._

_Raziel_

_P.S. You forgot this at the carnival._

After taking a brief look at the stuffed raven, she enters her room and closes the door behind her, leaving the sleeping Raziel still lying beside her door.

-----

Raziel soon wakes up to the sounds of fighting, the words 'Tofu' and 'Meat' an indicator of the parties involved. As he stretches out the kinks from his awkward sleeping position on the floor, a letter falls on his lap. Checking the piece of paper, he recognizes it as the letter he had written the night before. However, there was additional writing below his own note.

_Raziel,_

_Stop sleeping beside my door. I will help you WHEN I trust you, so stop bothering me about it._

_Raven_

_P.S. I don't do dolls. DO THAT AGAIN AND I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT HAPPENS TO PEOPLE I DON'T LIKE._

A shiver runs down his spine after reading the last sentence. Taking a look around, he notices that said doll is nowhere to be seen. As he places the letter in his pocket, Raziel heads off to the dining area, steeling himself for yet another so called breakfast.

"So what's for breakfast?" he asks Robin, the Titan leader obviously in a good mood despite the lack of food on the table.

"Depends who you ask," he replies, pointing to the arguing Cyborg and Beastboy. "So what were you doing outside Raven's door?" he asks with a smirk.

"I was hoping she could help me with my memory but I guess I fell asleep while you guys were away. Where's Blackfire?" Robin then gives the rundown of last nights events all the way up to Blackfire's capture. "I see. I thought something seemed wrong about her," replies Raziel. "By the way, did you happen to see something beside me while I was asleep?"

Raven suddenly coughs violently, her tea spilling on the table as she tries to clear her throat.

"Friend Raven, are you coming down with a cold? Your cough is quite bad and your cheeks are red."

To be continued.

Finally! Chapter 5 is out! Took me long enough. On to chapter 6!


	6. Initiation

**Souls Entwined**

Disclaimer: Teen Titans and Legacy of Cain belong to their own respective creators. Too lazy to write anything longer than this. : p First off, I'd like to thank my readers.

Red Mage Neko: Yup. I liked that scene too.

JuniorBins: Updated and raring to write the next chapter.

desert-tiger: Again, one of my favorite scenes.

Raving-Lunatic: Hehehe. Glad you enjoyed it.

Spartandude87: We'll see now, won't we? ;)

Wanderer3: I can't wait to get to Nevermore as well.

Deepcoiler: Thanks. I'm glad you think so. As for what you're suggesting, I'll see what I can come up with.

Arch-Angel-Gabriel: Sorry if I preempted you. But I'm happy you like the story.

wolfwood-Voresse: Thanks. I'll see what I can do. ;)

And now, on with the story

**Initiation**

"Clear your mind. You have to ignore everything in your surroundings and focus only on finding your center." Raven had finally consented to teaching Raziel the basics of meditation. While she wouldn't admit it, it felt good someone else had taken an interest in her activities, even if there was an underlying motive for it.

Raziel however, was having a hard time clearing his mind. Not really one to meditate, he struggled hard to find his center, emptying his mind all distractions. The fact that his legs were beginning to feel numb didn't have anything to do with it. Nope. Not related whatsoever. As he felt his mind finally relaxing, he could begin to hear Raven's familiar chanting begin. Recognizing a signal to start, he too joins in the chanting.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos...Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..."

Soon, two voices were in synch as the meditation continued, Raven's power allowing her to levitate a few feet off the floor. However, the power emitting from her body was having a curious reaction on Raziel; the familiar coil of energy manifesting itself on his arm. As it drew more power from Raven's own, several objects began floating around the room(1), one of which hitting Raven on her head.

"Ouch! Who did..." Words fail her as she notices the objects flying around her. Lacking the familiar black aura that her power normally carried, she surmised this could only be the work of one person. "Raziel," she whispers. Looking at the her meditation partner, she notices that he is still deep in meditation, unaware of the coil of energy flowing around his arm. Giving Raziel one last glance, she heads out of the room towards the command center. As she arrives at her destination, she finds that someone is already there.

"So how did it go?" asks Robin.

"He's in the training room levitating several items," answers Raven as she rubs the bruise forming at the back of her head.

"I see. And your evaluation?"

"I don't know where his powers are coming from," she replies, choosing her words carefully. "He could potentially become more powerful than he is now. But...I don't feel comfortable with the level of control he has right now."

Robin activates the screen in front of him and views Raziel, a variety of items still flying around him. "I know he doesn't have much control, Raven. But what I want to know is what you think about HIM."

Caught off guard, Raven pauses for a moment before answering. "He's...sincere to a fault," she replies, uncomfortable at the current line of questioning. "I don't think he's a danger to the team." 'Except maybe to my head,' she muses, remembering her earlier bump.

"All right," responds Robin as he shuts off the monitor. "Look Raven, I know you don't really trust him that much but after what happened with Blackfire, I guess I somewhat do. He did help protect Starfire a few days ago and I think we owe him at least some help. Even helping him learn to control his powers is something we, or rather you, can teach him."

"For someone acting grateful," says Raven, pointing towards the monitor, "spying on someone isn't exactly the best way to go about it, you know."

"He's still just a guest in the tower. I'd rather be safe than sorry."

Seeing that the discussion was over, Raven heads back to where she left Raziel expecting to find him still meditating. Instead, she sees all the previously floating items now strewn across the room and a somewhat nervous Raziel looking at her.

"I guess this mess is mine?" he asks.

"Yes it is. You need to learn control those powers of yours. You've always seemed to use them at the right time but you don't have conscious control over them," she replies as she looks over at the scattered objects. _'How many abilities does he have?'_ she wonders, recalling Raziel's feats of strength and energy projection a few days ago. "Meditation seems to bring it out faster though. I suggest you try meditating somewhere with a little less...objects around."

"I see," responds Raziel. "I guess I'd better get started then." As he begins to head out of the room, Robin's voice comes over Raven's communicator.

"_Titans! Trouble at the prison. Move out!_"

'_A Titan's work is never done,' _she thinks to herself. As she looks around the room, she finds Raziel had already left. Making a note to confront him later on his progress, she heads off to meet up with the rest of her team mates.

Raziel peeks out from around the corner, making sure that Raven was no longer in sight. Sensing that the Titans had left the building, he collapses to his knees as his grips his right arm in pain. _'This never happened before,'_ he thinks, before the pain starts to shoot up his arm again.

"I've heard of people trying to break out of jail but you're the first one I've seen trying to break into one," taunts Robin as he and the Teen Titans bar Cinderblock's path into the prison.

Cinderblock pays little attention to them however, as he continues his rampage charges at the human wall before him.

"Titans! Go!" yells Robin. They charge at Cinderblock, each of them landing powerful blows on the stone monster without much effect. They do, however, succeed in keeping him off guard as Beastboy turns into a T-rex and tries to bowl over Cinderblock. Cinderblock in turn grins evilly as he draws back a fist and slams it into the green Titan, knocking him into the air. Raven, unaware of the flying dinosaur, tries to use her powers against their foe but her concentration is broken as a flying Beastboy lands on top of her.

Beastboy shakes the cobwebs out of his head as he regains his bearings, noticing his fellow team mate also getting back to her feet and blowing the stray bangs out of her eyes. "Uh, watch out for falling dinosaurs?" he jokes, which only earns him a glare-of-death™. "Ok. Shutting up now," he replies meekly before rejoining the battle.

Cinderblock grunts in anger at the Titans before him. They were keeping him from finishing his master's commands. That made him angry. Gripping a large steel pipe, he rips it from the wall, a large chunk of concrete still stuck to one end. Whirling it around like a giant hammer, he attempts to create some Titan pancakes but is stopped by another steel pipe.

"You're not the only one with a really big stick," counters Cyborg as he parries each of Cinderblocks, swings. The rest of the team stays on the sides, unable to interfere for fear of hitting the wrong target.

"It's like watching the climactic battle between Kyle and Sergio in 'Blade Wars 7'!"(2) comments Beastboy as neither of the two fighters seemed to be letting up the least.

Raven however, is not amused and elbows him hard in the ribs.

"Ow! What? What did I say?"

'_Maybe a walk will clear my mind,´_ thinks Raziel, still uneasy over what happened after the meditation session earlier. Heading out of the tower, he walks towards the city, no particular destination in mind. The city itself seemed normal, a far cry from the last time he walked the streets. _'Telekinesis. What other secrets are trapped in my mind?'_ he muses. Just as he makes his way around a corner, a figure slams into him, causing both of them to fall on the sidewalk. The initial shock of the impact disappears almost instantly as he realizes the compromising position he and the person were in, apparently a girl as his nose was telling him. _'Perfume?'_

"Hey there cutie, we have to stop meeting like this," jokes a sultry voice.

Raziel's eyes focus on the owner of the voice, noticing the bright pink hair and pale skin similar to Raven's. "You! I remember you! You're one of those that attacked the Tower," he accuses.

"Oh, you remember me. How sweet." She pauses though, as several angry yells can be heard in the distance. "Time to move," she giggles, as she picks herself off Raziel and runs off to some dark alley.

Getting back on his feet, he turns to the source of the yells only to find a large angry mob of thugs running towards him. "Now this is familiar," he says out loud. Suddenly feeling the need to vent some frustration at his amnesia and the injustice of his life, he smiles evilly as his first victims enter the fray. "Vae Victus," he growls menacingly.

Several miles away, the girl they were chasing finally stops her sprint. "Well, this should be far enough," muses Jinx. Reaching into her sleeves, she pulls out several wallets and starts inspecting each one. "Hmmm, money, money, no money, money...what the?...ewww...definitely not money!" Tossing each empty wallet aside, she heads towards a grocery with the wad of bills in hand. Minutes later, she comes out with a fairly large grocery bag.

"You know you should clean up your own mess," calls a voice from above her.

Turning to the voice, she sees the boy she had crashed into a several minutes ago on the store awning. "Oh, its you...errr."

"The name is Raziel, and for your sake I hope you bought that thing you're carrying." Jumping down to the sidewalk, he blocks Jinx path, her back now up against the grocery wall.

"Oh my. A stalker, too? The Titans certainly don't know what they've let into their tower," she taunts.

"What! I'm not a..." stutters Raziel. The distraction is enough as Jinx fires off one of her hex bolts into the pavement under him, causing him to fall into the newly formed hole.

"Sorry, Razzy. But I have a schedule to keep." Blowing him a kiss, she once again runs into the alleys, leaving a thoroughly annoyed Raziel in a deep pit. Climbing out, he once again resumes his pursuit of the errant enchantress.

Jinx on the other hand, had already traveled quite a distance from her pursuer. _'Those spend and endurance training sessions at H.A.E.Y.P sure helped,'_ she thinks to herself. Stopping at a nondescript alley, she takes out some cans of cat food and places them on the ground. Focusing her hex bolts onto the cans, they pop open harmlessly unlike the usual reaction her powers normally cause. Soon all the cans are open and laying in front of her.

"That must be a useful ability when there aren't any can openers."

Whirling around to face the voice, she finds Raziel standing at the entrance of the alley wearing a smug expression. Pointing a finger at him, she readies a hex bolt when he raises his hands in surrender.

"I'm not here to fight," he states, keeping his hands above his head. When Jinx finally lowers her hand, he lets out a sigh of relief. Who knows what those bolts did to people?(3).

Jinx gives him a wary eye before turning back to the cans of food, now crawling with several cats of different shapes and sizes. "So how did you find me?" she asks.

"As hard as it was, I barely kept up with you. I just stayed out of eyesight. You know you could have just told me you had cat food," says Raziel as he takes a spot beside Jinx.

Bending down to caress one of the kittens in the group, Jinx lets out a sardonic laugh. "Given how we met the last time, would you have believed me anyway?"

"Point taken." Taking a look at all the cats, its clear that Jinx has been feeding them for quite some time, many of them rubbing up against her before heading towards the food. "I never figured you for an animal lover," he jokes, bending down to scratch one cat behind the ears.

"Not really. It's just that they're abandoned. The ones that no one wants," she says softly. "Untouchables."(4)

"They're not that bad," replies Raziel, ignoring the fact the kitten he was scratching was missing a leg "I think it makes them unique. Besides, I've seem much worse," he adds, an image of a ghost with a half decayed face coming to mind.(5)

Jinx gives him an odd look, not sure weather to believe him or not. Choosing to simply ignore him, she continues watching over the forgotten cats.

"So where are tweedle-dum and dumber?" asks Raziel, earning a giggle from the pink-haired girl.

"Who? Those two? Knowing Mammoth he's still eating something (although what it is I'd rather not know). And Gizmo? Probably off inventing some new weapon to defeat the Titans."

"I see. And Slade? What is he up to?"

"I guess you heard Gizmo (little blabbermouth)," she sighs. "Even I'm not going to tell you that. I can tell you that he was real mad we lost to you guys. Oh well, cest' la vie," she says, waving her hand lazily in the air. Looking back at Raziel, she gives him a curious gaze. "I don't know why I'm event telling you this though. Normally I should just blast you where you stand," she states, causing the subject of her threat to twitch nervously. "But for some reason, you feel...comfortable...like I'm talking to someone much older. You're not trying to squeeze me for information, are you," she jokes, her eyes narrowing slightly as she stares at the boy.

Now it was Raziel's turn to laugh. "I seem to have that effect on people," he replies, recalling another girl who had opened up to him a few nights ago. "Don't worry. I'm not even part of the Titans so I couldn't care less what your partners are doing. I'm more interested in the fact that you still stole that money from...those people. Actually, I'm curious you didn't knock off a bank or something if you needed money."

"Hey, a boy scout. Maybe you should be a Titan," she jokes sarcastically. "First, they were pick pockets. No loss there. Second, I only pull big heists when I'm ordered to..." she answers hotly before suddenly covering her mouth with her hands.

"Ordered?" asks a puzzled Raziel. Before he can follow up the question, she places a finger on his lips, silencing him.

"That's a question for another day, goth boy," she teases before returning her attentions to the cats. "You've been asking me questions all day. My turn. Where are _your_ team mates? What are they up to tonight?"

Raziel looks up at the sky in thought before facing Jinx again. "I honestly have no idea what they're doing tonight. I'm sure they're fine."

Cinderblock finally gained the upper hand, knocking Cyborg back several feet with his impromptu hammer. Turning his attentions to the other Titans, he barely gets to swing the steel pipe when it starts to melt in his hands.

"Since you would not listen when we asked nicely, I am asking you now not nicely to surrender," threatens Starfire, her hands glowing with green energy.

Sensing a disadvantage, he turns and starts to run further into the prison. Robin, however, has other plans.

"You up for the _Sonic Boom_?" he asks Cyborg as he helps his metallic friend to his feet.

"I got the sonic if you got the boom," says Cyborg, his right arm transforming into the sonic cannon.

"All right, lets do this!" yells Robin, as he and Cyborg charge at Cinderblock.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure they're doing just fine," adds Raziel, feeling a sudden premonition of impending doom once he returned to the Tower.

"Well, their luck is bound to run out some time," she states, the hope in her voice evident. Jinx begins dusting off her dress as she stands up and begins to walk away. "I've got to get back to HIVE. They've got a curfew over there (stupid curfew). Say hi to the witch for me." Blowing another kiss at Raziel, she jumps off in some random direction, her voice echoing on the wind. "I still owe you for last time."

Raziel watches his companion disappear into the night, unsure what to think of the encounter. Gripping his fist, he gives a cocky smirk as he starts walking again. "I look forward to it, enchantress." Looking back at the cats, he sees them meowing in the direction where Jinx had gone. "You guys must miss her already, don't you?" he tells them. As if the cats understood, they gave him a silent look before returning to their dinner. Seeing that he was no longer needed and that there was nothing left to be gained here, Raziel continues his silent trek through the city.

The Titans returned to the tower sans one of their members. The air was filled with tension as each of them made their way to their rooms.

"Robin, are you sure it is ok that..."

"Later, Starfire. I'm not in the mood for it," he replies sharply before heading to his room.

Hurt at Robin's attitude, Starfire silently floats off to her room, leaving Raven and Beastboy alone in the corridor.

"So..." starts Beastboy before he is cut off by Raven.

"So, nothing. It's late. Go to bed."

"Your loss," he replies as he heads for the T.V. and the Gamestation.

Shaking her head, Raven heads off through the dark corridors of the Tower towards her room, knowing that was Beastboy's own way of coping with the events that transpired that night. On the way to her room, she remembers that she was supposed to speak with Raziel about his training. _'Might as well get it over with tonight before I forget,'_ she thinks to herself. Upon reaching the room they had given Raziel, she reaches out to knock but hesitates for a moment. _'What if he's already asleep?'_ she wonders before putting the thought out of her head. _'Knowing him he's probably still awake staring at the sky as usual.'_

"Raziel, are you still awake?" she calls out, knocking a few times on the door. After several minutes of silence, she decides he must be asleep and starts to head back to her own room, pausing for a moment at the door to Cyborg's room. As she looks at the now empty room, the overhead light bursts in a shower of dark energy, causing her to stumble backwards as the broken shards of the light fall to the floor. _'It's pointless to be upset. Nothing will change even if I don't like it,'_ she thinks to herself. She floats back to her room, giving the dark corridor one last look before turning in for the night.

The following day is no different for the Titans, Cyborg's absence affecting them more than they realize. Beastboy, unable to sleep and lacking a sparring partner on the Gamestation, now tried frantically to reach his missing friend.

"C'mon, Cy! Pick up the phone! I know you can hear it. It's built into your arm!" he yells into the receiver. The only thing that replies is the same answering machine message he heard the last 20 times he called. "Aw, man!" he whines. Before he can even put down the phone, a spoonful of goo gets shoved into his mouth by one floating red-head.

"Taste," she states, not even bothering to ask whether the taste test was wanted.

Beastboy's eyes widen in fright as his mind instantly broadcasts two words: Starfire and Cooking. His skin turns even greener than usual as he struggles to take the toxic substance out of his mouth. "Bleargh! Starfire! What was that! Cream of toe nail? P'tooie!"

"Pudding of sadness. It is what the people on my planet eat when bad things happen," she explains as she takes a spoonful of her cooking and swallows it. While her reaction is not as violent as Beastboy's it still causes her to shiver in disgust at the taste.

'_Mental note. If pudding of sadness can do THAT to Starfire, I've got to order takeout,'_ Beastboy thinks to himself as he rushes to the bathroom for anything to wash out the taste.

Starfire pleased that the pudding had the desired effect, continues to go about her 'humanitarian' work of 'healing.' "Raven, please try. The displeasing taste will ease your troubled mind."

Raven gives her an incredulous look before eyeing the gelatinous goo. "My mind is never troubled," she answers before returning back to the computer terminals she was adjusting.

"I see. Perhaps you know where Raziel is? I am sure he would be troubled knowing Cyborg is no longer with us."

"He's probably still sleeping in his room. I haven't seen him since I got up," Raven replies nonchalantly.

"No, he is not," Starfire replies. "I visited his room right after making the pudding and he was not there," She suddenly gets a shocked expression on her face as a thought makes its way to the surface. "Oh no! Perhaps he has also left! He may not be well enough yet," she panics.

"People come, people go. It's pointless to get upset about them leaving." Raven's expression hardly changes but all the computer panels in front of her mysteriously break as her hair moves strangely, as if blown by some unseen wind. Noticing that Starfire had suddenly gone silent, she turns towards her friend as if nothing happened. "What? It must have been a faulty fuse."

"Of...course," Starfire answers hesitantly. _'On all the units,_' she thinks to herself, silently praying Raven could not read minds. Floating off again, she tries to offer some of her pudding to Robin. "Robin, would you...?"

"No Starfire, I'm fine," he answers.

"Are you sure? You might need this most of all since..."

"I said I'm fine," Robin retorts half-heartedly. "Who knows, the team might be better off without him."

Starfire's mood dampens greatly as she watches her leader walk off, pretty sure he was hiding his feelings as usual. "I guess it is just you and me, pudding," she drones as she downs another spoonful of the glop, causing yet another spasm in her mouth. "Yuck..."

As soon as Robin is sure Starfire is nowhere near him, he heads off towards Cyborg's room, not wanting to show any weakness on his decision. Upon reaching the door, sounds of broken glass can be heard crunching underneath his boots.

"Huh? How did this get here?" he wonders out loud. Looking up, he finds the broken hallway light and places 2-and-2 together. "Guess I should fix this later." Entering Cyborg's room, he finds it exactly like his missing friend. "Half is tech, half is normal. Just like Cyborg." To the side he sees a small picture on a small bookshelf, a picture of him and Cy when they first formed the Titans. Swallowing back his pride, he says the words he should have said the day before, even if there was no one to hear it.

"I'm..."

"...sorry," excuses Raziel as he weaves between the mass of people in the downtown district. Having walked the whole night, he was no closer to solving the mystery of his memory or the sudden pain in his arm. He was, however, dab smack in the middle of the morning rush hour. _'Who would have thought there were so many people who walked here at this time of day?'_ he thinks to himself. Feeling suffocated with so many people, he tries to find an empty street and get his bearings. Failing to pay attention to where he was walking, Raziel bumps into a large individual who knocks him down.

"Hey! Watch where you're goin'!" bites back the person.

"Sorry, I wasn't...Cyborg?"

"Raz? What are you doing her, man? I thought you'd be back at the Tower." Giving Raziel a hand in getting up, the two move off to the side so as to not block the flow of people.

"I could ask the same of you," he replies with a smirk. "And don't call me Raz."

Returning the smirk to the pale teen, Cyborg looks off in the direction of the tower, his expression becoming serious again. "Just needed some time to myself," he answers stoically. "What about you? I thought you and goth girl would be getting it on by now," he jokes.

"I barely even know Ji...oh, you mean Raven. We're...not at each other's throats if that's what you're wondering."

Cyborg can only grin in reply. "That means she likes you. Took her forever to get used to Beastboy. You're lucky. I heard the last guy she went out with was never seen again." he adds, while hiding the fact that it took her just as long to get used to him.

"Never...seen...again?"

"Bwahahaha! You should have seen your face!" laughs Cyborg. "Don't worry, I don't think I've ever seen Raven actually go out on a date," he states. "Or have I?" he teases.

Raziel grins back at Cyborg, whatever melancholy topic Cyborg was thinking about he had forgotten. "Well, I'll leave you to your musings," he replies. As he starts to walk off in a different direction, Cyborg's huge hand grabs his shoulder.

"Wait a minute, I just realized something. You were going to say someone else." Cyborg leans in closer, wrapping his huge arm around Raziel's neck. "Did you meet someone at the club and not tell ol' Cy?"

"No (cough), it's nothing," strains Raziel as the life is choked out of him. "Really, I thought goth girl was someone's name! You know, like Batman, Supergirl." he lies. They would probably kill him if they knew he and Jinx met up earlier, even if it only was talking. _'Although she's not all that bad,'_ he silently adds.

"Oh. Oh well, guess that's that then," he shrugs, dropping his victim. "Later Raz, I've...uh...got some thinking to do."

Sensing something was clearly amiss, this time it was Raziel's turn to place a hand on a shoulder, stopping Cyborg in his tracks. "You're not telling me something. Did something happen while I was away?" he asks.

"I don't want to talk about it," Cyborg replies sharply, earning him a glare from Raziel. "Brrr, don't do that man, you remind me of Raven. I get enough of those from her."

"So you'll talk then?" When Cyborg remains silent, he intensifies the glare causing his cybernetic friend to sigh in resignation.

"All right, all right. If you really wanna know, I left the Titans. There, I said it. Now leave me alone." Returning to his melancholy expression, he shakes off Raziel's hand and continues walking.

Seeing as that was the only answer he was going to get out of Cyborg, Raziel tries an idea to get Cyborg to open up. "Cyborg, wait!" he calls.

"What now?"

"Look, I know its none of my business what you Titans do, but can I ask a favor from you before you leave?"

Cyborg looks at him in silent contemplation for a few moments before answering the goth teen. "All right. I guess so. What is it?"

"I want to challenge you," he replies.

As soon as the words leave Raziel's mouth, Cyborg starts to laugh out loud. "Are you crazy!" he manages to choke out between laughs. "The only one close to my strength is Starfire and she's Tamaranian. I think you've been drinking too much of Raven's tea (or BB's tofu)."

"Oh, I don't know about that. She has been teaching me a few...things," replies Raziel. _'I hope this works,'_ he thinks to himself as begins to chant under his breath. "She's (Azarath) been giving me (Metrion) quite a heavy dose of _Zinthos!_" After speaking out the last word, he slams his fist into a nearby telephone pole, leaving a deep impression of his fist in the steel.

Whistling at the display of strength, Cyborg gives Raziel an approving nod. "Zinthos? You HAVE been hanging around Raven too long," he jokes. "Are you sure that's _all_ she's been 'teaching' you?" he teases, a leering expression on his face.

"It's not like that!" Raziel retorts, a slight blush rising to his face. "And don't change the subject. So are you up for it? One last go before you leave," he states, taking a ready position. _'I must remember to get some painkillers when I return to the tower,'_ Raziel thinks, ignoring the pain in his right hand. "Or are you giving up just like you gave up on the Titans?"

"I did not give up!" he yells, slamming his fists together. "I didn't want to do this but it's your funeral, Raz."

Seeing that he got the reaction he wanted, Raziel rushes at the larger teen at near impossible speed and lands a powerful blow on his chest, knocking the metallic Titan back a few feet.

"Don't call me 'Raz'," he growls before rushing at Cyborg again.

Impressed at the amount of power displayed by the pale boy, Cyborg's readies himself for the next attack, enhanced reflexes compensating to match Raziel's own. Blocking most of the attacks, he finds an opening in Raziel's defenses and slams a fist into his gut, knocking the breath out of his smaller body.

'_That's going to leave a bruise,'_ he moans to himself. Cyborg's follow-up punch nearly hits him in the head but his right hand catches it and uses Cyborg's momentum to toss him over his shoulder. Cyborg however, lands on his feet and fires off his sonic cannon at his opponent, eager to end the fight. Raziel barely dodges the blue beam as it passes beside his head, a shocked expression on his face that it was actually used against him. Grinning madly like a kid who just got candy, Raziel continues his onslaught on Cyborg, using speed to try to outmaneuver his opponent.

Cyborg however, did not get into the Titans by being slow. For every blow that Raziel got in, he returned them at double the power. While Raziel kept Cyborg on his toes, it was clear that he was losing the fight. Hours later proved it as Raziel was a mess of black and blue, his pale skin covered in bruises. He struggled to remain standing as he could no longer feel his body, the pain nearly overwhelming.

"Give it up, Raz. You can't beat me. Although I will give you this. You certainly last a lot longer than Robin when we practice," he states, his expression darkening briefly but it was enough for Raziel to notice.

Taking a look at his opponent, Raziel gives an inward smirk. _'Took long enough,' _he groans inwardly before raising his eyes to meet Cyborg's. "I'm still standing, aren't I?" he taunts.

"Not for long," was Cyborg's reply as he pulls back his fist for another punch. "Now stay down!" he yells.

'_Now!'_ thinks Raziel to himself. As Cyborg's uppercut catches him squarely on the jaw, he uses the momentum of the punch to launch a hard kick on Cyborg's own jaw. The two fighters fall to the ground, each reeling from the other's blow. Straining to just turn his head, he finds that Cyborg is slowly getting up but still disoriented from the blow. "Feeling...better?" asks Raziel, a cocky grin on his face.

Cyborg glares at him before grinning back. "I haven't had that good a workout in a long time. That thing you did with the kick was pretty risky. You could have gotten really hurt."

"I've felt worse," answers Raziel. Even if he didn't recall anything since the day the Titans found him, he had a sneaky suspicion that what he said was actually true. "So what happened that you decided to leave the Titans?" he asks.

Tired from his fight and not really in the mood anymore to argue, Cyborg narrates his recollection of the events of the previous day. "And that's what happened," he finishes.

"So let me get this straight," starts Raziel. "You two tried a move you've never done in actual field conditions for the first time?"

"Pretty much. Since we screwed up, all the prisoners were able to escape," he sighs.

"But you caught them all again. Besides, I don't think freeing those prisoners was his actual plan. From what you told me there's no one there who got out that could even pose a threat to you guys," explains Raziel, still struggling to sit up.

"Yeah, no one except..." Cyborg's human eye goes wide in understanding as he recalls the one person in the prison who they did not bother to check. Getting back on his feet, he begins to head off towards the Tower. "C'mon Raz, I think I know what Cinderblock's plan was." He stops as he notices Raziel still laying on the ground.

"A little help please."

Cyborg picks up his fallen friend, supporting him as they rush back to the Tower. "Lets get you patched up first. Then we have to tell the other's about..."

"...Plasmus!" yells Robin as he and the Titans enter the toxic waste plant. They find the chemical blob drinking barrels of the waste as it leaves the conveyor belt. Each barrel consumed increasing the size of the already massive giant. "That stuff can't be good for you," he adds. "Titans! Go!"

Starfire fires off a bolt at him, blasting the bottom out of the barrel he was drinking and catching the meta-human's attention. It stares at the intruders for a moment before letting out a huge belch.

"Nice one!" Beastboy compliments. That's the only statement he's able to say before Plasmus launches pieces of himself at the Titans, each of them moving quickly to avoid the pieces of goo.

"Starfire, let him have it!" Robin yells.

Starfire lets lose one of her more powerful Starbolts, punching a hole through the oozing Plasmus. "Did I let him have too much?" she asks worriedly, her concern for her opponent's well-being overriding her Tamaranian battle instincts. Her worries are misplaced, however, as Plasmus begins to close the hole in his chest, causing the rest of the Titans to reevaluate their opponent.

"I think you didn't give him enough," comments Beastboy, worry clearly seen on his face.

Their worries are justified as he begins attacking anew, trying first to take down the one who blew a hole in his chest. Luckily for Starfire, Raven's quick action pushes her out of the way of Plasmus attack. Robin looks in anger at the hulking giant, pulling out one of his custom disks. He tosses it at Plasmus extended arm, freezing it up to the shoulder.

'_Not powerful enough,'_ Robin thinks to himself. Plasmus also notices that only his arm is frozen. With a scream of rage, he smashes the frozen appendage into the wall, shattering it into pieces and allowing his arm to regrow.

Starfire and Beastboy take opportunity of Plasmus current distraction and attack from the air, Starfire laying cover fire for Beastboy's dive bomb assault with his talons. Aside from annoying the meta-human, their attacks prove ineffective as he retaliates with another stream of plasma. Only Starfire's rapid-fire release of her Starbolt's and pin-point accuracy save them from being hit by it.

Raven in the meantime, who had taken to the sidelines to observe for any weakness, tries to use blunt objects where energy and piercing ones failed. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" With her trademark chant, she levitates large steel barrels and hurls them at Plasmus, embedding them in his chest. They fail to faze him as he glares at his attacker and returns the projectiles at an even greater speed.

While Plasmus was distracted by Raven, Robin the direct approach and lands a powerful flying kick at him. Half-expecting to hear a slam, Robin was quite surprised to hear a 'sploosh'

'_Eh? What the!'_ Finding his foot trapped in Plasmus body, Robin tries to punch his way out but only succeeds in getting his arm trapped as well. "Let go of me, you giant zit!" he yells. Plasmus seems to react to that statement as he looks down at the human trapped on his body, an evil grin on his face. "Uh oh," Robin says to himself.

Plasmus launches a flood of himself to remove the human from his chest. He succeeds in this, covering not only Robin but Beastboy as well with his gelatinous goo.

"Robin, are you all right?" Starfire asks as she rushes over to Robin's side.

"Yeah, I (bleach) think so (cough)," groans Robin as he tries to remove the sludge from his body. "I hope this stuff isn't toxic," he says out loud, spitting some of it which got into his mouth.

"And I thought Starfire's pudding tasted bad," adds Beastboy, spitting out more of the stuff from his mouth. _'Now I HAVE to buy more mouthwash!' _ he moans to himself.

"Really? I must rework my recipe then," answers Starfire, drawing stares from the rest of her team. "Did I say something wrong?"

Raven opens her mouth to retort but is suddenly engulfed by a huge wave of sludge from Plasmus, covering her and Starfire in a pile of not so good tasting or smelling goo.

"I feel like the underbelly of a Zornian muck beetle," groans Starfire, struggling to crawl out of the slime. Raven doesn't fare quite as well, her cloak more of a hindrance to her movements in the sludge.

"You said it," she replies monotonously.

"I think its time we took this giant down," Robin states, launching one of his grappling hooks and tying Plasmus legs. "Beastboy! Go!"

Taking his cue, he transforms into a rhino and charges at full speed, knocking the hulking giant down. Raven and Starfire, after getting rid of as much gunk as they could, use their powers to bend several of the support beams of the building around Plasmus like a cage, holding down their foe.

"That wasn't so hard," pants Beastboy, ignoring the roars of outrage from the pinned Plasmus. "Didn't think we'd pull it off without...ow!"

Raven frowns as she elbows their less than discreet team mate. "If you ignore the fact we'll all need to scrub ourselves raw when we get home," drones Raven as she takes another whiff of herself and scrounges up her face in disgust. _'Hot bath,'_ she thinks wistfully.

"No time for that, guys. I just got a report Cinderblock's downtown in the tech district," Robin.

"Aww man, NOW he shows himself. Can't we get a break just once?" moans Beastboy.

Sighing and finding she was envious of the fact Raziel didn't feel like a (something) muck beetle, Starfire starts to head for the door when Raven taps her on the back.

"I think we spoke too soon about beating Plasmus," she states. As the rest of the team look behind them, they see Plasmus absorbing the metal beams into his body and growing larger by the second. At first the Titans jump back, expecting a much larger enemy to start attacking them. They soon start backpedaling as Plasmus splits himself into 6 different creatures, all even more disgusting than the original body.

"Hey! That's like that old robot show Getter Robo(6) where they'd separate into the individual parts whenever they got trapped by the enemy," Beastboy exclaims before noticing that Plasmus parts were now advancing towards each of them. His words mirror each of his teammates thoughts as they try to back away from the advancing creatures.

"Uh oh."

"Can you move yet," asks Cyborg as he lugs around a fairly limp Raziel. "I thought the 'mister big bad Raz' could take me on," he taunts, earning him a weak glare from his companion.

"Once I get my strength back you won't be laughing," retorts the goth teen.

Cyborg smirks in amusement as they continue their trek back to the tower. His mood however, is still one of worry. The prison where Cinderblock had broken into housed the meta-human known as Plasmus. The actual person wasn't really all that bad, as far as records showed. It was just that when he was awake, a separate personality known as Plasmus takes over his body and transforms him into the toxic eating giant they had fought before on many occasions. As they approach a corner, the sounds of gunfire and sirens can be heard in the distance along with several explosions. "We'd better check it out," says Cyborg as he rushes to the scene, dragging along the still immobile Raziel like a rag doll.

"I think (whap) you can (crack) put me down now," groans Raziel as they reach the source of the commotion, his body bouncing off the street. He raises his head as a several armed police run back from a huge stone golem, their weapons ineffective against its tough hide.

"Cinderblock!" yells Cyborg, catching the giant's attention. "Time to finish what we started." Propping up Raziel against a wall, he jumps at the lumbering creature, landing a powerful punch on its face. The giant gets knocked back, clearly not expecting to find any of the Titans on the scene. Quickly regaining his senses, Cinderblock levels the particle cannon he was carrying at the cybernetic teen and fires off a shot. Cyborg barely manages to evade the beam as it passes over his shoulder, punching a hole through the car behind him. Wisely the police squad run in random directions while firing at Cinderblock, their squad cars and armored vehicles no longer providing safe cover. Cyborg soon joins them as he runs around Cinderblock, firing the occasional sonic beam once in a while but not able to focus the beam long enough to do more damage. Cyborg's tactics don't last long as one of Cinderblock's shots catches him on his chest, knocking the cybernetic titan through a wall.

'_I've got to move!'_ thinks Raziel, as he tries to command his limbs to respond. Cyborg was the only one who was keeping the stone golem at bay. Without him, the police squad were severly outgunned. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before they were overrun. _'Where are the Titans?'_ he growls to himself in frustration. Fighting through the pain and numbness, he finally wills his body to move, the muscles in his legs screaming for him to stop. Ignoring his body's warnings, he finally gets on his feet, leaning onto a telephone pole for support. Gasping for breath, he raises his gaze towards Cinderblock as the giant starts walking in his direction. "That can't be good," he groans. Just as Cinderblock starts getting close to Raziel, a blue beam of energy slams into his back, knocking the stone giant into the air.

"You did not just blast me through a wall!" roars Cyborg as he leaps out of the rubble. "Raz, you better get your butt in gear!"

Instantly regretting getting into a fight with Cyborg, Raziel shakily raises a hand at Cinderblock, trying to aim at the lumbering giant while avoiding Cyborg's body. _'Just remember what Raven said...focus...calm...'_ he thinks. After a few moments of concentration his eyes begin to flare with power, his body flowing with power. However, as soon as Raziel takes a step forward, everything around him begins to distort and change before his eyes, the once tall sky scrapers being replaced by a forest canopy. _'What happened? Where am I?'_ he wonders. Looking back to where Cinderblock was, but instead of the stone golem he finds a huge hulking demon, its huge talons sparkling with lighting.

"rAziEl," the demon growls in an inhuman voice. "wE'Ve bEen ExpEctIng yOu," it taunts, slowly making its way towards the pale teen. With a great roar, the demon swings one of its arms down on Raziel, the teen unmoving like a deer caught in headlights. Just when the huge claw is about to strike, a loud voice calls out to him.

"Raz! Move!"

Shaken out of his stupor, the surroundings start to return to its normal urban appearance, the 'demon' revealing itself to be Cinderblock. Barely avoiding the attack, Raziel manages to get in close to Cinderblock and lands a powerful left. Unfortunately, instead of knocking back the stone giant, a loud cracking sound comes from Raziel's hand. Suppressing the urge to scream, he rolls to the side, placing some distance between him and Cinderblock. _'This will definitely need more than a few aspirin,'_ he groans silently.

Cinderblock growls in frustration at the teen, his eyes narrowing at him. Pointing the huge cannon at Raziel, he grins evilly as his finger starts to pull at the trigger. He doesn't get the chance however, as a blue beam of energy knocks him off his feet.

"You ok, man?" asks Cyborg. "What happened to that super strength of yours?"

"It appears Raven's not the only one who needs to learn to control their powers," Raziel replies sarcastically while nursing his left hand. "Isn't that sonic cannon of yours strong enough to take him down?"

"Yeah, it usually is but I need to focus it. With him firing that plasma gun I can't get a long enough shot," he answers as he starts to run, Cinderblock already getting back on his feet.

Raziel shoots after Cyborg, not willing to confront the immovable object without some irresistible force. The running buys him some time to think as Cinderblock blasts the spot where he was just standing.

"I thought you couldn't move?" jokes Cyborg.

"Death is a surprising motivator," he drones emotionlessly. "We need the others here, Cyborg." Raziel's second wind was fading fast and the police force were vastly underpowered to handle Cinderblock on their own.

"I've been trying, Raz. No one's responding."

Fearing the worst, Raziel racks his brain for any way to take down their rather large opponent, a dark image of what could have happened to Raven and the others entering his mind. _'Raven,'_ thinks Raziel. _'That's it!'_ "Cyborg! You said all you need was time to focus your cannon," he states, avoiding the last shot that Cinderblock fired.

"Yeah. You have a plan?"

"Maybe. Cover me," he finishes as he jumps off in a different direction.

"What the! Cover you? What am I? Your nanny?" retorts Cyborg. Sighing in resignation, he turns towards Cinderblock and starts firing off small bursts from his sonic cannon. "Hey cement head! Try and get me!" he taunts.

Cyborg's taunting seems to work as Cinderblock's attention focus on him and not the injured teen. Raziel grins in anticipation and nervousness as he raises his uninjured hand at Cinderblock. _'This better work,'_ he mumbles to himself. Concentrating on his target, Raziel tries to remember the feeling of power he called forth the last time he was with Raven; the strength that seemed to burst forth when he was meditating with her. Soon, the familiar tingle in his right arm starts to manifest itself, a faint wisp of energy coiling around his arm. "Perfect," he says to himself. "Just a little more..."

"Raz! Hurry up! I can't keep this up forever you know!" Cyborg yells as he dodges another beam of energy; the last few shots of Cinderblock coming dangerously close to making him left handed.

Hearing Cyborg's frantic call, Raziel's eyes start to glow with a pale blue light, the coil of energy around his arm intensifying as well. Focusing his gaze on Cinderblock, he reaches out with his mind, visualizing the tendrils of energy reaching out to the stone giant. As they reach Cinderblock, they constrict around him, effectively immobilizing the stone giant.

Cinderblock looks around puzzled. He could not move his arms or legs. Growling in frustration, he struggles to free himself from the invisible bonds, completely forgetting the fight he was just in.

"Some time today, Cyborg? I don't know how long I can keep this up," Raziel states, his voice strained as he tries to maintain the field holding their foe.

"You got it, Raz," smirks Cyborg. Running up to Cinderblock, Cyborg draws back his fist, ready to unleash his most powerful punch. Cinderblock, who had finally noticed Cyborg running towards him tries to retaliate but finds himself firmly held by Raziel's power. As the punch approaches his face, Cyborg's hand transforms into his sonic cannon and fires it point blank at the villain's head, causing a huge explosion which covers the area with smoke and dust. When the dust finally settles, a grinning Cyborg stands over the now unconscious Cinderblock, a small crater centered around him.

"Took you (gasp) long enough," pants Raziel as the strain of his powers combined with his injuries leaves him once more exhausted. He shuffles over to where Cyborg is, observing the now slumbering Cinderblock. Kicking him hard in the head just for good measure, Raziel notices the huge weapon that their foe was carrying earlier laying to the side. Turning to Cyborg, he points towards the gun with a smirk on his face. "So what do we do with sleeping beauty's pea shooter?" he asks.

Cyborg grins evilly in reply as they close in on their helpless victim.

"Robin. Do you read me? Starfire? (sigh) Beastboy?" Her calls gone unnoticed, Raven shuts off her communicator as she continues to dodge the tentacles thrown at her by the Plasmus creatures. _'Great. Of all the Titans, Plasmus chooses to send TWO against me,'_ she thinks to herself. _'I hate my life.' _

One of the creatures which looked like a huge octopus used its many arms to try to catch her, many times too close for comfort. The other one looked like a scorpion and either tried to reach her with its claws or stab her with its stinger, neither of which looked very appealing at the moment.

Calling forth her dark power, she commands the factory machinery to come apart and crush the things chasing her. Deciding that it was better to be safe than sorry, she manipulates all the machinery around her to come undone, hoping it would be enough to defeat them. After hearing the sound of crashing machinery, she looks back to find that the creatures were no longer pursuing her. _'Took them long enough,'_ she thinks to herself. Unfortunately for her the thought was premature as a claw grabs her leg from behind and pulls her down. "Not this time! Azarath, Metrioomph!"

Raven is unable to complete the chant as a tentacle from the second creature wraps around her mouth while another wraps around and hands, effectively neutralizing her powers. A small part of her wanted to scream out in fear but she quickly suppressed it, instead focusing her mind on the task getting out of her predicament. Her wish is granted as green bolts slam into the creatures, blowing up her captors in a shower of slime.

Raven, you are uninjured, yes?" Starfire floats down beside her friend, her eyes darting around in case there were other parts crawling around.

"I'm fine, Starfire," replies a currently soaked Raven. "Where are Robin and Beastboy?" she asks.

"I do not know. I assume they were...eeeek!" Starfire zips off in random directions as the snake-like creature she had avoided minutes ago found her again. Launching a flurry of starbolts at it, she succeeds in taking its attention away from the grounded Raven. Unfortunately, it manages to avoid every single bolt and launches itself at her, enveloping her in a ball of sludge.

"Starfire!" Raven shakes off the remaining pieces of Plasmus and glares at the ball holding her team mate. Her eyes glow with power as she calls forth the dark energy to try to free Starfire but she is pre-empted as said ball suddenly explodes in a shower of green light; a disgusted looking Starfire dripping in ooze.

"I feel like the underside of a Zornian muck beetle...again," groans the Tamaranian.

Raven lets out a sigh of relief. So far they were able to take down Plasmus' parts without too much trouble thanks to Starfire's unique powers. "Now all we need is to find Robin and Beastboy," she says out loud. Levitating into the air, she looks around for any sign of the two when a familiar voice shouts out in the distance.

"Lemme go! I'm NOT part of the menu!" Beastboy struggled vainly against Plasmus creature # 2, the sheer strength of the slime proved too much for any of his animal forms. Looking up, he sees the two girls floating in the distance, apparently looking for the most handsome of the group, he thinks to himself. "Hey guys! Help!"

Raven and Starfire look towards Beastboy, not noticing the small parts of Plasmus behind them reforming into the creatures once again. As they fly off towards their friend, multiple tentacles spread out and grab their arms and legs, this time ensuring that they could not get free again.

"This is...familiar," drones Raven sarcastically as she struggles to free herself. Starfire fares no better against her creature which apparently had gotten stronger to compensate for her Tamaranian strength.

"Raven, can't you use your magic or something? This thing's breath is starting to stink!" moans Beastboy.

"In case you haven't noticed (grunt) I'm a little tied up at the moment," she retorts, the tentacles tightening around her whole body. A roar catches her attention though. Looking towards the source, she sees the head of Plasmus eyeing them almost hungrily. _'It better not be thinking what I think it's thinking,'_ thinks Raven as she glares back at the head. Unfortunately she was thinking the correct thoughts as the head leaps at her and the other Titans, mouth open and ready to swallow them whole.

"NOOOO! I'm to cute to be dinner!" yells a squeaky voice.

'_Great. My last thoughts are of Beastboy's screech,'_ thinks Raven before a pair of voices yells out from the shadows.

"Teen Titans! Go!" Unlike the previous attempt, this time Cyborg and Robin manage to pull off the attack without a hitch, striking Plasmus' head with the force of the sonic cannon and explosive bird-a-rang combined.

Raven shuts her eyes tight as the combined attack causes a huge flash of light aside from a massive shockwave which knocks the wind right out of her. As her vision returns, she sees the now human Plasmus sleeping soundly in a pool of sludge along with her team mates.

"You guys all right?" smirks Cyborg as he reaches out to help her up.

"How did you find us?"

"I tapped in to the tower's computer systems. Saw that the last thing you guys were looking at was Plasmus being seen at the waste processing facility," answers Cyborg.

"I see. So...are we cool?" asks Robin as the police load up the sleeping Plasmus onto the prison transport. Looking expectantly at his cybernetic friend, he lets out a sigh of relief as Cyborg gives him a thumbs up.

"Frosty."

Seeing that her two not-speaking-to-each-other friends were now back to being simply 'friends,' Starfire jumps up and down for joy with the enthusiasm of a child. "You made up! Glorious! I wish to initiate a group hug!" she beams.

Raven gives her an incredulous look before unconsciously taking a step back. "I think I'll pass this time," she replies, her body still remembering the last time Starfire wanted to 'group hug.'

"Yeah, yeah, warm fuzzies all around!" retorts an uncharacteristically angry Beastboy. "We still have to catch Cinderblock."

"Don't worry about that," answers Cyborg. "I've got that covered."

"What do you mean? Even with all of us together we still had a hard time taking him on," Robin asks.

"Easy. I had help from a friend." Pointing his thumb behind him, the Titans see a sleeping Cinderblock wrapped up with what appeared to be the remains of a huge rifle. Beside the slumbering giant stood a certain goth teen wearing a grin on his face.

"I hope the ribbon wasn't too much," adds Raziel as he limps towards the rest of the Titans, the gun apparently wrapped around Cinderblock making him look like a gift of sorts.

"Raziel! How wonderful! I had feared you had left us as Cyborg did!" Starfire squeals as she picks up the pale boy in a huge hug.

"Starfire! (gasp) Ribs!" moans Raziel, his injuries aggravated by the girl's Tamaranian strength.

"I am sorry," she replies, gently putting down the injured teen. "But I am still glad you are well." The emotion clearly written on her face, Raziel can't help but blush at the attention.

Raven however, gives the boy one of her patented death glares before returning her face to its usual appearance. "That was foolish and dangerous. You're not a Titan. You could have been seriously hurt or worse," snaps Raven as she walks over to Raziel. Giving the boy a once over, she notices him unconsciously protecting his left hand. "It's broken, isn't it?" More of a statement than a question, she grabs his hand and start resetting the bones, causing the owner of the hand to yelp in pain.

"You know you could be more gentle with that," he gasps, the bones in his hand finally reset.

Ignoring her 'patient's' sarcasm, she proceeds to accelerate the healing process while the police take away the two criminals. While she continues healing, Robin steps up to them and clears his throat, calling the attention of the injured teen.

"Raziel, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about and I guess now's as good a time as any," says Robin, a serious look on his face. Seeing that the boy was now intently listening, Robin continues his speech. "You've helped us before against the H.I.V.E, against Blackfire and now you've helped us catch Cinderblock, one of the most dangerous criminals in the city."

"I don't quite get what you're saying," replies Raziel, as Raven finally finishes with most of his minor injuries.

"I guess actions speak louder than words," smirks Robin. Reaching into one of his many pockets, he pulls out a Titan's communicator and hold it out to Raziel. "I'd like to offer you a place with the Titans."

Somewhat shocked at the statement, Raziel looks at the rest of the team, each of them (sans Raven), with an expectant look on their faces.

"Please say yes! You would be most welcome to the team," adds Starfire, her eyes shining with unhidden joy.

"Yeah! And I could show you the many different ways of enjoying tofu!"

Sighing in defeat, Raven finally speaks up as well. "Besides, you still don't have full control of your powers and I'm not letting you go off until you can."

Looking back at Cyborg, the metallic teen gives him a thumbs up, the decision apparently unanimous.

"I...What can I say except...sure," Raziel replies, his mind still not quite comprehending the situation.

"Great. Let's head back to the tower then," Robin states. Tossing the communicator to him, Robin and the rest of the Titans walk back to the tower with their new team mate in tow. As they walk back, Cyborg moves to Raziel's side with a huge grin on his face.

"You do know you're going to have to go through an initiation, right?"

"Initiation? What exactly does it mean I'll have to do?" asks Raziel.

"Oh, now why would I spoil the surprise, Raz?"

"Well, I guess it can't be that bad, right?" His fears are suddenly justified as the rest of the Titans look back at him, all wearing evil grins.

'_What have I gotten myself into?'_ he thinks before they start dragging him to the Tower.

"Incompetents! How could they have lost!" yells Slade as he slams his fist into the armrest, shattering the cup that he was holding. Pushing a button on his side, the monitor in front of him lights up to show a picture of Raziel as he fought against Cinderblock earlier. His eyes narrowing at the image, he presses another button which causes the scene to change, now showing the boy fighting against the H.I.V.E. agents he had sent before.

"I'll be keeping my eye on you, 'boy,'" finishes Slade. If anyone could see behind the mask, they would have seen Slade smiling evilly as he shuts off the monitor.

To be continued.-

At last! Chapter 6 is out! Thanks to all who have stayed with me so far. Onwards to chapter 7!

Notes:

(1) Telekinesis. Raziel gains this power in Soul Reaver 2 and Defiance. I'm taking a little artistic license and giving it a bit more style :p

(2) I guess this is something the B-man would watch.

(3) Really. I have no idea what they do to people.

(4) In the original Teen Titans comic, Jinx was born/ found? in India. It would make sense if she is one of the untouchable caste it would drive her to a life of crime.

(5) 3 guesses which female specter I'm referring to.

(6) It's true. For some strange reason once Getter Robo separates they break out of ANY trap. It's uncanny.

Omake:

Raziel looks around at the dark room, a feeling of familiarity hanging in the air. _'This is Raven's room, isn't it?'_ he thinks to himself. The few candles the room had plus the eerie atmosphere certainly reminded him of it. As he continues to look around, the sound of the door opening catches his attention which causes him to turn around.

"Raven? Is that...?" the words trail off as his mind shuts down at the image before him. Yes, it was Raven and beside her stood Starfire. Normally this would not have had any adverse effect on him but today was not like any other day.

Raven was not dressed in her usual blue cloak and leotard. Instead, she wore a one-piece leather bikini complete with long leather boots, leather gloves, and a studded choker; in her hands was a wicked looking whip.

Starfire fared no better. Even her normal wear made her look like a nun compared to what she wore now. The two piece black leather outfit she wore left little to the imagination. Wearing a similar choker around her neck and long leather gloves and boots, she carried a cat o' nine tails in her hands.

As his brain finally restarted, Raziel wipes the drool from his mouth as the two girls seductively approach him. "Uhh...Raven? Starfire? What's..."

Raven cracks her whip dangerously close to his hips as her eyes begin to glow red. "You will call us 'Mistress'!" she commands.

Starfire grins evilly as she raises the cat o' nine tails. "And welcome to your 'initiation."

Outside, Cyborg, Beastboy and Robin were lounging leisurely in the couch playing a three-way game of Ultimate Wrestling Kung-fu Masters.

"So why do you think Raven and Starfire wanted to be the ones to do the initiation? All we need is the rubber chicken and the pink party dress," says Robin as he kicks one of the onscreen villains.

"I dunno."

With that, the three boys continue their game, unaware of the girly screams coming from Raven's room.


	7. Power

**Souls Entwined**

Disclaimer: Teen Titans and Legacy of Cain belong to their own respective creators. Thanks to all those who enjoy my story as much as I enjoy writing it.

Red Mage Neko: The omake was the result of too much sugar at 2am in the morning :p

Spartandude87: I wonder what omake scene I'll make next... :p

Raving Lunatic: Glad you enjoyed the omake.

Absolutely Pointless: Sorry for the delay. Been really busy plus the evil entity know as 'Writer's Block' has plagued me for several weeks now.

Junior Bins: Thanks for the vote of confidence. Hopefully my time gets freed up more so I can update faster J

Liljimmyurine: Thanks for the emails. Yes, I am one of the anti BB-Raven writers. Thanks for pointing out the spelling errors too. I now have the habit of doing spell-check before posting :p

Wanderer 3: Don't worry. I have Nevermore in the works already (at least in my mind) :p Haven't actually gotten around to writing it yet.

Desert Tiger: Thanks for the review. I'm glad you enjoyed the omake J

Deep coiler: Yup, that was the demon I was referring to. Congrats for recognizing it. As for the omake, what can I say? It just popped into my head.

Wolfwood Voresse: Don't worry. It didn't sound that bossy J Hope you enjoy this chapter.

And now a few notes before we begin:

"Spoken Words"

'Electronic Communication'

_'Thoughts'_

**Power **

The sunlight pierced the darkness of the room, banishing away the feeling of eternal slumber. Its occupant stirred as the warmth started to filter its way past the sheets and signal the beginning of a new day. For most people, they welcomed the coming of day. For this particular person on this particular morning, it was neither welcome nor wanted.

"No...more...chickens..." moans Raziel from under the sheets. Curling into a ball, he vainly tries to ignore the pain running all over his body; the combined stress of his battle with Cyborg, Cinderblock and the (shudder) initiation had taken its toll. All he wanted to do now was die quietly. Unfortunately, certain people wouldn't give him the liberty of doing so as his communicator starts beeping. Reaching over to the night stand, he flips open the device and activates it.

'Get up', calls a monotone voice over his new communicator.

After a few minutes of silence, the communicator comes to life again. 'You're a Titan now, so if we have to get up early to train, so do you', adds the first voice which he finally recognizes as Raven.

Raziel groans as he crawls out from the sheets and reaches over and flips the communicator open. "Yes dear," he replies sarcastically, quite sure he could feel Raven trying to glare at him through the device. After the 'initiation' the Titans had put him through last night, training this early in the morning was the last thing on his mind. Putting on a pair of sweat pants and a black t-shirt, he makes his way to the training room. As he enters the training room, he sees his teacher already giving him the glare of death. Smirking at getting a rise out of the normally emotionless witch / sorceress, he walks over to her, ignoring her angry stare.

"I'm going to assume that you were half-asleep when you answered that call," she replies dryly, not really in the mood for any debates. "Do you remember the focusing exercises I taught you the other day? Can you make your power visible?"

Nodding his head, Raziel concentrates and tries to call forth his power, the coil of energy materializing around his arm. As he feels the energy stabilizing, he looks at Raven and sees that her gaze is transfixed on the power he was holding in his hand.

Raven, while she appeared to be staring in awe, was in fact attempting to 'feel' what the energy was. Focusing her senses on Raziel's arm, she is surprised to find that it felt similar to her own. "Explain to me why your power feels like mine," she says while leveling an angry glare at Raziel.

Raziel raises an eyebrow in curiosity. While he knew the powers he possessed seemed to be of a mystical nature, Raven's little revelation shocked even his normally cool expression. "It...does? Is that a good thing?" he asks. After seeing Raven in action, having that kind of offensive and defensive mix was certainly an advantage.

Unsure if he was joking or not, Raven merely keeps silent, unwilling to reveal anything about those powers. "Forget about it," she hastily replies. "Robin asked me to train you since you're now the second magic user in the team. Now that you've got that...thing...out, we're going to spar."

Sensing something was up, Raziel drops the subject as he relaxes his stance trying to ready himself for any surprise attacks. "Really now? Are you sure you're not just doing this to take out some stress on me? You seemed a bit tense for a moment." Taking a look at the glowing coil around his arm however, he could swear it seemed...excited at the prospect of the fight.

"I never get stressed, nor do I get tense," she retorts, calling forth her own dark powers which coalesce around her hands. Dashing towards her opponent, she levitates and delivers a powerful kick to Raziel's head.

Raziel ducks under the kick, more of a reflex than conscious thought, and counters with a turning side kick, his opponent avoiding it by using the leg as a springboard and floating over him. "You know this isn't much of a spar if you keep running away," he taunts.

"Who said I was running?" she replies. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" As the words leave her lips, several of the dumbbells on the floor fly towards the pale teen.

_'She's a bit more peeved than I thought,' _Raziel thinks to himself as he jumps towards the flying projectiles. Twisting his body in a variety of awkward positions, he manages to avoid all of the attacks much to Raven's chagrin. Landing a few feet away, he spots a metallic bo staff which he immediately grabs, twirling it around like a spear, unaware of the fact he couldn't even remember the first time he held one.

Raven barely suppresses her surprise at the skill Raziel was showing. While it was clear his mind was not all there, so to speak, his body seemed to be remembering skills which he appeared to have beforehand. _'Maybe I should take it up a notch,'_ she muses. She doesn't have time to think of a plan as Raziel rushes her, swinging the staff at her head. Blocking each strike with a dark force field, she uses her powers to fly out of range of the staff.

"I didn't know you could generate force fields," comments Raziel, his breathing a little heavy from exertion.

"You didn't ask," she replies. "I didn't know you could use a bo staff," she adds, trying to distract Raziel from noticing her calling forth her powers.

"I didn't know I knew, either," he shrugs. Just as he finishes that statement, he feels a powerful force pull at the staff in his hands. Covered in black energy, it struggles to get free from his hands. Only his unusual strength seemed to keep the staff from flying towards Raven.

Raven pumps more power as she tries to wrench the weapon out of Raziel's hands. Her determination turns to shock however, as she sees the dark power around the staff begin to flow into Raziel's right arm.

"What the?" Raziel looks on in confusion as the coil of energy around his arm begins to take on a dark hue, absorbing the energy that was wrapped around the staff. Dropping the staff like a hot coal, he stares at his right arm, the dark energy slowly fading away and returning to its normal bright blue glow.

Raven had also stopped trying to control the staff, her eyes now focused on the coil of energy flowing around Raziel's arm. Training her senses on the energy, she is surprised to see that there seemed to be a higher concentration of her power now than earlier.

"Looks like we found out why my power felt like yours," Raziel jokes, the dark hue now gone from his arm. Looking back to his sparring partner, he sees that she had gone unusually silent, even for her.

"You...absorbed my power?" she finally asks.

Deciding that it was useless to think about it, he simply gives a small shrug. "I don't suppose you'd believe me if I said I had no idea how that happened, do you?"

"From what I can tell, most of what you've been doing is reactionary. You don't really have any conscious thought over what you do," she sighs before leveling her stare at Raziel. "Which is why you're going to train here until you can consciously control it," she orders.

"...Right," he answers, silently wishing he hadn't gotten up this morning.

Raven starts to make a sarcastic comment but turns her head to the side. _'Stupid sense tingling. Beastboy must be up to something...again,'_ she thinks to herself.

"Is something wrong?" asks Raziel.

"It's nothing," she replies. "I just need to check something so keep practicing in here."

"If you say so," he returns, calling forth his power again and trying to see what else it could do.

Raven leaves the training room and heads out into the corridor, intent on finding the source of stupidity known as Beastboy. As she rounds a corner, she finds the shape shifter pulling a large rubber band onto an equally large hook.

"What are you doing?" she asks. "Please don't tell me this is another one of your stupid pranks."

"All right, I won't." he answers, ignoring the sarcasm in her voice and placing a large pink balloon in the contraption.

After several moments of silence, Beastboy finally turns to the silently fuming girl. "All right, all right, I'll tell you what it is," he says gleefully. "Remember the time Cy put red dye in my shampoo and I turned brown for a week?" _'Good thing Raz wasn't there at the time. He probably would have laughed at me too. No, wait. He's kinda like Raven so he'd probably just frown.' _

"And just when I thought I had gotten that image out of my head," Raven drones in response.

"Well, what you see before you is the instrument of my revenge! The BEASTBOY INSTALUBE 9000™.! Buwahahaha!" Cackling evilly like a mad scientist, he strokes the machine maniacally. "Isn't that right, my precious?"

_'Ok, that creeped out even me,'_ Raven thinks to herself.

"Anyway, when chrome dome comes around that corner, he's going to trip that rope over there, which rips the lever over here, which launches the mother of all rubber bands, which sends a balloon full of motor oil flying right at him..." Beastboy pauses to take a deep breath. "And SMOOSH! Pretty amazing eh?"

"I'm amazed you said a sentence that long," Raven dryly replies.

"Hmph. You're just jealous cause I thought of such a brilliant plan," he gloats. Just as Raven rolls her eyes, the sound of foot steps can be heard coming down the corridor. "Quick! Hide!" Beastboy whispers, dragging the unwilling witness to his crime.

"But what if..." she begins before being shushed by Beastboy.

"Shhh. He's almost here. My revenge...sweet revenge is finally here!"

"..."

* * *

(A few minutes earlier).

"Robin? Are you here?" Starfire calls out into the training room. As she enters, she sees Raziel in what appeared to be a dance of death, whirling a bo staff around him with blinding speed. While Starfire had a cheerful and almost saccharine personality, growing up on Tamaran had exposed her to fighting and the ways of the warrior. She could tell that each strike Raziel was doing was done with an almost primal feel to them, no hesitation whatsoever behind every movement. "Amazing," she whispers.

The sudden sound jolts Raziel out of his little world, causing the pale teen to lose his grip on the staff. His eyes widen in shock as the weapon heads towards Starfire's head. "Look out!" he yells.

Starfire merely looks at the flying projectile and tilts her head to the side, her hand shooting up and catching the weapon in mid-flight.

Raziel stares at her in surprise, not quite expecting that kind of reaction from the normally cheerful Tamaranian. "Looks like I spoke too soon," he jokes.

"I do not understand. Did I do something wrong?" she asks. "I am sorry for disturbing you but your fighting style reminded me of my home. Where did you learn such techniques?"

"I wish I could tell you," he sighs.

"But...you seemed to move so fluidly. The way you attacked was one who had much experience in battle."

"Not always," Raziel answers. "Sometimes, when I forget where I am, my body just...moves on its own. Like Raven said, it's like my body remembers what my mind seems to have forgotten. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever get my memories back."

"I see. I am sorry, friend Raziel. I did not know..."

"It's all right," he interrupts her, noticing her about to go into one of her sad (however brief) moods. "I'm sure with time I'll remember who I am. Speaking of remembering, weren't you looking for someone?"

"Oh yes! I was looking for Robin. Do you by chance know where he is?" Starfire asks, floating over to Raziel's side.

Raziel shrugs, mentally sighing in relief. Being in the path of one of her 'sad episodes' was not one he cared to experience. "I haven't seen him all day. Of course, I don't know the whole tower's layout so I wouldn't even know where to start looking." A sudden feeling of dread comes over him as Starfire begins to stare cheerfully at him.

"You haven't been shown around? I shall take you on the touring of grandness then!" she beams, grabbing the goth teen's hand.

"I think you mean 'grand tour,'" he retorts, his words falling on deaf ears as the Tamaranian begins her spiel of the tower's features. Unable to free himself from her vice-like grip, Raziel sighs and tries to 'enjoy' the ride.

* * *

"I don't think..." 

"Raven! What part of 'shhh' don't you get? We have to keep quiet!" Beastboy whispers.

"We do?" asks a third voice from behind them.

"Yes we..." Beastboy stops in mid-sentence as he recognizes the voice behind him. _'Please don't let it be him, please don't let it be him,'_ he chants to himself. As he turns his head, however, his worst fears come true. "Cyborg! You can't be Cyborg!" squeaks the flustered teen.

"I can't?"

Beastboy's eyes widen in fright as a thought makes its way into his head. _'If Cy's over here, then who's...'_ (snap) The sound of the trap activating stops him in mid thought, causing him to jump out of his hiding place. "Nooooo!" Everything seems to move in slow motion as the oil-filled balloon is launched from the rubber band and flies towards its target.

(SPLAT!) (Whump!) (Bam!)

_'Wait. Two crashes?'_ As Beastboy takes a peak at the target of his trap, he gulps in fear as he sees Starfire and Raziel covered in motor oil.

Wiping the oil off her eyes, Starfire looks around in confusion at her current situation. "I did something wrong? This is punishment? All I did was give Raziel a..."

"No Starfire, I don't think you did anything wrong," Raziel interrupts her while leveling his uncovered eye at Beastboy.

"That's right," adds Raven, before pointing to the green boy in tights. "He did." _'But what was Star going to say? She gave Raziel what?'_ she wonders, her mind suddenly curious as to what exactly was going on. Looking at her fallen friend, she notices that Starfire was currently holding on to Raziel's hand, unsure as to why that image seemed...wrong.

"Ummm...remember to change that oil every 5,000 miles?" jokes Beastboy.

"Somehow, I don't think 5,000 miles will be far enough for you to get away," retorts Raziel as he gets back on his feet, his head still dripping oil.

"What do you...eeep!" Beastboy wisely shuts up as two pairs of glowing eyes glare at him with the intent of maximum hurt.

"On my planet, we have a name for those who do such terrible things!" adds Starfire. "You are a...a...KLORBAG BARK BLURNELK!" (1) she screams.

"Healthy set of lungs on her, don't you think?" Raziel mentions to Raven as he uses his shirt to clean his face.

"I guess Beastboy must have interrupted you two," she replies, not really looking at Raziel.

"Huh? What do you..."

"Titans! Trouble!" Robin shouts as he makes his way into the corridor.

"What's wrong, Rob?" asks Cyborg. His question is answered though as thunder and lighting start to appear outside the tower...with nary a cloud in sight. "Okay...that's new," he says.

"Let's go, Klorbag," Raven tells Raziel she brushes past him, the gothic teem wiping the last of the oil from his face. "And put on your costume," she adds.

_'Klorbag? What was that all about?'_ Raziel wonders before the last part of Raven's comment sinks in. "Wait a minute. What costume!"

* * *

"I'm not going out. This is pointless," drones Raziel, pulling at the tight leotard. "I don't need a costume." 

"C'mon, dude. It's perfect. Star and I worked hard on it all night!"

"More like Starfire did it while you bandaged your hands," mutters Raven,

"Yes. It was somewhat difficult working with earth fabrics but I believe we chose the correct colors. Is it not acceptable?" Starfire asks, her eyes eagerly awaiting some form of acknowledgement.

In the short time he spent with the Titans since joining them, Starfire was one person he couldn't bring himself to hurt, even if it wasn't intentionally. Sighing in defeat, he steps out of the shadows and lets the team see their new member (2).

"It...actually looks good," Raven says out loud. Her team mates look at her in surprise, causing the normally pale girl to blush slightly. "What? All I said was it looks good."

"Ok, enough chat. Let's go!" Robin orders. The rest of the Titans follow suit as they head towards the source of the disturbance. As they arrive at the Jump City Bridge, the reactions on their faces range from horror to anger at the sheer destruction before them. Cars overturned and/or burning, some of the support cables for the bridge snapped, and people running around in terror. Coming up to an abandoned truck, they hear laughter from behind the vehicle as a huge shockwave rocks the bridge, setting off several car alarms.

"Now everyone will know Thunder and Lightning were here!" yells one.

"Yes. Most amusing," laughs another.

Having heard enough, Robin and the Titans jump to the top of the damaged truck and confront the two voices. "I think your sense of humor stinks," retorts the boy wonder as he glares at their opponents. "This ends now," he orders.

The two beings look in surprise at the humans who dared challenge them, their faces slowly turning to anger at being ordered around. "No one commands Thunder and Lightning!" replies the one in yellow, firing a bolt of lightning at the Titans.

"Titans, scatter!" yells Robin.

The Titans jump off the truck as it bursts into flames, charging at the two super-powered beings. Starfire, having the more powerful long range attack of the team, takes the initiative and attacks Lightning, the two engaging in energy gun slinging as they jump from car to car.

Cyborg takes on the blue Thunder (3), matching him blow for blow as they fight in a test of strength. Locked in a grapple, the two decide to use their energy attacks, with Thunder slamming his fist into Cyborg's sonic cannon. The combined effect of their shockwave knocks them both several meters into the air. Thunder, however, lands on a cloud and flies towards the fallen Titan, intent on finishing the job. Robin intercepts him before he can shoot off an energy blast, distracting him from the currently immobile Cyborg.

"You're going to have to do better than that," taunts Robin as he narrowly avoids each of the energy beams.

"Stand still!" growls the blue-skinned Thunder, his irritation at this 'mere human' growing with each second. Throwing more energy blasts at him, the explosions give Robin some cover as he sneaks behind the floating Thunder and tosses him over his shoulder.

"Had enough?" Robin smirks.

Starfire on the other hand was not having as much luck as Robin. Her opponent kept on shooting lightning bolts at her which prevented her from getting a good shot at him. Thankfully, the two seemed to be evenly matched, neither able to get a bead on the other due to the constant barrage of attacks.

"Please, why do you persist in such destruction?" Starfire yells as another lightning bolt misses her by a few inches.

"Because it's fun," smirks the yellow teen as he blasts the car in front of Starfire.

The sudden explosion in front of her causes the young Tamaranian to shield her eyes. That one moment she takes her eyes off Lightning is enough as he shoots her squarely in the chest, knocking her off the bridge.

The shock of seeing Starfire going over the rails angers Raven as she flies towards Lightning and delivers several quick kicks to the head. The kicks never make it though as he blocks every one of them on his bracers.

"Not good enough, little girl," he sneers, blasting Raven away with a huge bolt of lightning.

"RAVEN!" Raziel's eyes glow brightly as he charges at the grinning teen. Attacking like a man possessed, he claws at Lightning but the electrical powered being catches both hands before they can strike his body. "You will pay for that," Raziel growls as he tries to get his hands free.

Lightning struggles as the pale teen begins to slowly overpower him, clearly the more physically powerful. However, an evil gleam comes to his eyes as sparks begins to gather around his hands. "You are strong, pale one. But my powers are stronger!" With that, his whole body discharges a huge shock of electricity, into the goth teen.

Screaming in pain, Raziel feels as though his body was on fire, the electricity burning through every nerve yet somehow feeling vaguely familiar. The current suddenly explodes outward, knocking the new Titan back several feet. He tries to struggle to his feet but the electrical charge which knocked him down also had the effect of paralyzing his muscles. Unable to do more than glare, he sees the one known as Thunder slowly approaching him, apparently having dealt with Robin already. Before he can get closer though, a huge green panda bum-rushes Thunder and into one of the overturned cars.

_'Looks like I'll only rough up Beastboy a little bit for that motor oil earlier,'_ Raziel groans to himself as he tries to force his muscles to move. Just as he gets to his knees, he sees the shape-shifter flying towards him, slamming the two of them into some debris. _'Then again, I might change my mind about that,' _he thinks as he pushes the unconscious teen off him.

"Pfft. These weaklings are no challenge," sneers Lightning. "Come my brother, let us seek better amusement than this." With that, Lightning flies off into the air, leaving the Teen Titans groaning as they try to regain their senses. Thunder gives one quick look at the green one who knocked him down before summoning his cloud and flying after his brother.

"All right," moans Raziel as his muscles finally decide to start working, albeit with much effort. "Who besides me wants to put those two in their place?"

"Are you all right, friend Raziel?" Starfire reaches out a hand and helps their new team mate to his feet.

Nodding a silent thanks to the Tamaranian, Raziel notices the growing bruise on her left arm, a reminder of their loss against the two brothers. "Your arm..." he begins before Starfire waves her arms in protest.

"No! I am fine! Really!" she hurriedly replies. "It is merely a sprain. It will be gone soon." Floating off towards Robin, she turns back to Raziel, giving him a small smile. "But...thank you for your concern." As she floats past Beastboy, the Tamaranian gives him a loud 'hmph' before ignoring him once again.

"I'm taking you're still mad at me?" she sheepishly replies.

"She's not the only one, you know," adds a voice behind him.

"Eep!" Beastboy slowly turns his head to see somewhat burned Raziel "Err...Sorry?"

"I'm not the one you should apologize to," Raziel says before walking towards Raven.

"You took a pretty nasty hit there," he says, motioning to the large burn mark on the goth girl's chest before offering a hand. "I'm surprised your clothes are still intact," he adds with a smirk.

"The state of my clothes is none of your concern," she snaps, trying to hide the rising blush to her face but taking the hand anyway.

"All right team, everyone here?" Robin asks as he shakes the dust from his costume. Seeing as all members were accounted for, he proceeds to direct a search for the two villains. "Ok guys, we've got to find them before they cause any more damage to the city. Cyborg, take the south side. Raven, the east. Raziel, west side's yours. Beastboy and Star, take to the sky. See if you can spot anything from there."

"Uh, maybe I could go with Cy instead?" suggests Beastboy which only earns him a stare from Robin.

"Beastboy, Cyborg can't fly."

"Oh, then what about..." Beastboy's abruptly shuts his mouth as Raven levels one of her glares at him. "Never mind. Star it is," he chuckles nervously.

"Good luck my little Klorbag," teases Cyborg as he and the other Titans head off to their respective sectors.

* * *

'Raven, do you copy?' Raziel asks over the communicator as he leaps from rooftop to rooftop. 

'What?' comes the monotone reply.

'Do you think it was a good idea to pair 'those' two together?' He recalled how Starfire had caught the staff earlier and was almost worried for their green team member's safety.

'Don't worry about it,' she replies. 'Starfire may be angry but she doesn't let it get to her'. _'Much,'_ she silently adds.

Raziel was almost sure he could hear the goth girl smirk through the communicator. 'Anyway, I also wanted to ask you what you think about Thunder and Lightning.'

'It doesn't matter what I think,' Raven answers. 'As long as they're a danger to the people around them they have to be stopped. No matter what.'

'I...see.' Raziel remains silent for a few moments, certain he could sense something else behind Raven's statement. 'Well, I for one don't think they're evil. Misguided, maybe. Irritating, definitely,' he growls, remembering the shock he received earlier. 'But evil is one thing I don't sense from them. I think you, of all people, should know, right?'

Raven's heart nearly skips a beat at Raziel's words. _'Does he know?'_ she worries before resuming her normal demeanor. 'What do you mean by that?' she asks, trying to hide the trepidation in her voice.

'Well, I gathered you're an empath, right? If anyone's evil I'm sure you can just sniff them right out,' Raziel replies.

Raven lets out a sigh of relief. Her secret was still safe. Just as she is about to reply to Raziel's question, his voice comes over again on the communicator.

'Raven. I think I've found something. It's in the GenCorp building. I'm checking it out.'

"Wait! Don't do it alone!" she says into the communicator. Hearing that Raziel cut off communications, Raven curses in several colorful Azarathian phrases before flying off in the direction of the building, irritated that it was completely in the opposite end of the city. Arriving at the area, she sees Raziel frantically digging through a huge pile of concrete, a catatonic Beastboy staring at the scene.

"Don't just stand there, help me!" orders Raziel, shaking the green teen from his stupor.

Raven zooms towards the two, worry making its way to her face as she lands beside them. "What happened?" she asks, not really wanting to hear the answer.

"Starfire's trapped under there! She...she...I'm sorry, Star!" comes Beastboy's broken reply as he continues to lift pieces of debris.

Raven calls forth her powers and starts to levitate some of the other pieces off her friend.

"I see something!" Raziel calls out as he sees a hand sticking out from underneath the rubble. "Starfire! Are you all right?" he yells as he picks up a massive chunk of concrete. His worry turns to relief the arm twitches in response. He backs away though, as the large piece pinning down the Tamaranian begins to crack. Raven and Beastboy also back away as an angry female yell suddenly pierces the silence.

Starfire's fist bursts through the concrete slab pinning her to the ground, her eyes glowing green with power. Her breathing is heavy as she gets to her feet, the ordeal having taken more out of her than she realized. Before she collapses however, a pair of strong hands catches her mid-fall. Looking up she sees the familiar face of Raziel staring back at her, his mask not quite hiding the concern in his eyes.

"Are you...?" he begins before Starfire interrupts him.

"I am fine, friend Raziel," she replies, a genuine smile on her face which causes the normally pale teen to blush slightly.

Raven notices the interaction between the two and snorts in irritation, not quite sure what brought it on. "Hey," she calls to the Tamaranian girl.

"Raven! Thank you for saving me," she gushes before being tackled by Beastboy.

"Starfire!" whines the shape shifter as he transforms into a small green kitten. Nestling himself between her breasts, he mewls in relief and remorse as the Tamaranian hugs him in return. Transforming back to a human, he looks back at Starfire, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "Star, I..."

"It is all right, Beastboy. I heard what you said. I am glad you are unharmed as well," she replies, no longer angry at the young changeling, his whole body suddenly relaxing in relief. "However, those evil brothers must be made to apologize," she adds, her expression darkening.

"Uhh, Starfire, about that..." Raziel interjects. "I don't think they're evil."

"Why do you say that, Raziel? They have done much harm since they came here," she answers.

"Actually, they haven't really done anything except property damage," Raven replies, a thoughtful look on her face. "Granted, it was a LOT of it, but still no one was hurt."

"I think they're just like me," Beastboy adds remorsefully.

"You mean an idiot?" Raven drones monotonously, causing Raziel to snicker in response. _'He has a nice laugh...What am I thinking!' _she thinks before pushing down the stray thought.

"Yeah...I mean, HEY!" the green boy retorts.

Even Starfire begins to think as she recalls the attack which pinned her under the debris. "Perhaps. The one who defeated Beastboy and I used an attack more powerful than what the two brothers used."

"Then we might have a bigger problem on our hands," comes Robin's voice from behind them as he steps out of the shadows.

_'How does he do that?'_ Raziel wonders, uneasy that someone was able to sneak up on him so easily.

"Starfire, are you...umm...ok?" Robin asks, the usual cockiness and arrogance missing from his voice as he checks for any injuries.

"I am fine, Robin," she replies happily.

"That's good," Robin answers, his expression becoming serious once again. "Beastboy, what happened before you guys got served? Any ideas where they headed off to?"

"Sorry, Robin. All I know is I was fighting the blue guy while Star was fighting the yellow one. Then all of a sudden, BAM! There's this huge pink ray that blasts these...ummm...art stuff...and we get trapped under it," the changeling recounts.

Robin looks deep in thought as he ponders the situation. "This isn't good. If there is a third party involved, we need to think of a better plan," Robin states, somewhat glad that Raziel was now a member of the team. Just as he reaches for his communicator it comes to life with Cyborg's voice.

'Robin. I've accessed the Tower's scanners. It detected some energy spikes over on the mountains here on the south side. You guys better get over here. There's some serious power being thrown around there.'

Robin's expression becomes one of seriousness at Cyborg's words. He shuts off the communicator as he faces his team mates. "You heard Cyborg. Teen Titans, GO!"

* * *

"Dancing Lights!" cheers Lightning as his blast burns one of the wooden structures littered around the area. 

"Let Thunder try as well," rumbles the blue giant. Collecting his power into his hands, he lets loose a battle cry before releasing a bolt of blue energy which slams into another 'scarecrow.' Like Lightning's target, it doesn't explode or collapse but lights up and burns with an eerie flame.

"See, brother? We are not harming anyone with our fun," says Lightning as he enjoys the light show.

"And there is more fun to be had, young masters," speaks the old man as he gestures towards a number of targets. "Take your time. Enjoy."

Grinning madly in delight, the two brothers fly around the area, blasting targets as they pass by. Each of the wooden structures burn brightly in the darkness of the night; strangely not disintegrating like normal wood. Unknown to the two 'playing' siblings the old man behind them watches the display in rapt attention. With each new target struck, the old man's expression turns from one of disinterest to malevolence.

_'Soon, it will be complete,'_ he thinks to himself.

Further away, the Titans rush to the top of the mountain to catch the two brothers, unaware of what truly awaited them. Raziel, however, stops mid-stride and clutches his head in pain. Looking towards the mountain, his eyes widen as his senses are suddenly filled with dread and danger.

"Robin! Wait. There's...something up ahead. We should move carefully," he warns, the headache slowly fading.

Robin looks puzzled at the statement, giving a brief and almost invisible nod to Raven to check as well.

The gothic girl closes her eyes and extends her senses into the surrounding area, feeling for any signs of the danger Raziel warned them off. At first, she doesn't sense anything other than the odd forest creature which was completely normal. Then IT appeared. An ancient feeling. Something old and powerful. _'Magic,'_ Raven thinks to herself. On its own it wasn't anything all that worrisome, certainly not to the extent Raziel seemed to think it was. But with each passing second the power it contained jumped tenfold, causing Raven to open her eyes with worry. "We need to move now," she orders, flying off towards the source.

"You heard her," adds Raziel as he chases after Raven. The rest of the Titans follow suite, their concern increasing. Anything that could worry Raven was indeed something they should all worry about.

Back at the mountain top, the two brothers had finally run out of targets. They approach the old man, his face smirking at the sight.

"More targets, old one!" Lighting asks.

"Yes, please! Give us more," adds Thunder, drunk with his own powers.

The old man reaches into the folds of his coat, his smile never leaving his face. "That...won't be necessary. You've done quite enough," he answers. He pulls out a metallic amulet, an unknown symbol engraved on its front. Tossing it into the air, it hovers several meters over the ground, earning stares of confusion from the two brothers.

"Old man. What is the meaning of this?" Thunder asks, his eyes never leaving the floating object.

"Watch and see," he replies. Raising both arms into the air, the amulet begins to emit a bright light; tendrils of power racing down from it towards the burning scarecrows the siblings had ignited earlier. _'With the totems charged with elemental magic, the spell can finally be completed,'_ the old man thinks to himself. As the tendrils touch the burning totems, they each emit another beam of energy, connecting each of the flaming objects to each other.

Thunder and Lightning can only watch in amazement at the sight before them. _'Truly this old man commands the powers of nature,'_ they cannot help but think.

As the totems complete the link, a huge fire rises from the surrounded area. The old man then raises the staff he carried higher into the air as he faces the fire. "Rise!" he commands.

At first the two brothers wonder who the man could be speaking to. The flames suddenly growing into a huge humanoid shape answers their question, however. It faces them, almost expectant in its demeanor.

"Burn, Fire! Burn it all!"

Turning towards the city, the fire giant begins its downward trek when a certain group of teens block its path.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you?" taunts the leader of the group. "Play with fire, and you're gonna get burned."

The giant simply looks at the targets before him. With a wave of its arm, a huge wall of flame bursts from its arm towards the annoyances.

"Titans! Spread out!" Not needing to be told twice, the group scatters to avoid the attack, taking cover wherever they could find it.

Seeing its targets move out of its path, the giant begins to ignore them and continue its original order; destroy the city. As it makes its way down the mountain, huge swaths of trees burning before they can even touch the giant's body. It leaves a trail of destruction with each step it takes, its master smiling evilly in return.

Robin glares at the old man who only smirks back in reply. Giving a growl of frustration, Robin runs away from the man and towards the flaming giant. "Titans, we HAVE to stop that...thing. Forget about those two!" he orders, tossing his entire belt's supply of flame retardant at the creature.

Raven takes a look at the surrounding area, dozens of trees already burning and causing those beside them to catch fire as well. _'Flames won't burn what they can't reach,'_ she realizes. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Using her powers, she uproots several trees from the monster's path, tossing them a safe distance away. _'Greenpeace is going to have a field day with me on this,'_ she thinks sarcastically.

"Raven's got the right idea! Titans, lets plow the road!" Robin commands.

Beastboy and Starfire begin knocking down trees however way they can. Starfire's starbolts prove to be an effective bulldozer, trees falling left and right from their explosions. Beastboy transforms into a mighty bison, ramming trees down as fast as he could. While nowhere as efficient as Starfire or Raven's attacks, he was still able to take down a couple of trees from the path of the monster.

Raziel remained on the sidelines, having been ordered by Robin since he was the only Titan at the moment that couldn't do anything to oppose the giant or clear the forest. Clenching his fist in frustration, he notices the old man staring at the creature from higher up the mountain. Remembering him as the summoner of the creature, he moves through the shadows, slowly making his way towards his prey. As he nears the old man, he overhears the conversation between him and the two brothers.

"Are you going to let the Titans stop your fun? 'Fire' is your creation, young masters."

"Yes, we must fight!" Lighting gleefully replies, sparks beginning to fly from his hands.

"But brother," Thunder interjects.

"Do not annoy me with your foolish concerns! Let us go!" commands the smaller of the siblings as the two fly off to confront the Titans.

_'Dissension in the ranks,'_ muses Raziel from the darkness. _'This could prove useful.'_

"Are you going to hide all day, or do I have to pull you from the shadows," taunts the old man as he looks in Raziel's direction.

Raziel hides his shock as he slowly steps out of his hiding place, his eyes narrowing at the old man before him.

"So Raziel we meet at last," he smirks.

Raziel's power threatens to burst forth at the seeming familiarity of the man with himself but he composes himself before the man can notice. "How is it that you know my name? We've never met," he replies coolly.

"On the contrary, Raziel...I know you _very_ well..." the man replies cryptically. "A pity that you won't live long enough to know how," he adds before launching himself at the goth teen.

Narrowly avoiding the old man's staff, Raziel twists his body in an impossible maneuver, leaping back several feet into a crouching position, his eyes now glowing with power.

"Your skills are better than I'd hoped for," the old man responds, pointing the staff at his opponent. "Let us see if we can 'take it up a notch'." He swings the staff at Raziel's head, the teen barely avoiding becoming one-eared in the process. Following up with a powerful punch to the guts, his fist slams hard into the boy, propelling him several feet back.

Raziel drops to his knees in pain as he coughs up some blood. _'Probably some internal bleeding,'_ he groans to himself. Before he can even regain his bearings, the staff comes bearing down on him like a guillotine. Only his insanely quick reflexes save him as he brings up his arms in a defensive position, catching the body of the weapon between his arms. The blow is more powerful than expected however, as the force drives him into the soft ground. Coughing up more blood, Raziel falls to his knees as his body finally succumbs to the damage his opponent caused.

"Is this the limit of your power? I'd have expected more from you," sneers the old man. Picking up the fallen Titan, he slams the boy into a tree, cracks appearing around the area of impact. Aiming the blade of the staff towards Raziel, his eyes narrow at his victim as his muscles tense for the final blow.

Raziel struggled to maintain consciousness as he feels several bones crack upon hitting the huge tree. Opening his eyes, he sees the face of his attacker, a weapon in his hand poised to strike at him. Glaring defiantly, he looks into the old man's eyes, strangely finding no sense of malice in them.

"Pathetic. I should have let you die," the man sneers, his voice devoid of any emotion.

Raziel screams in pain as the weapon plunges into his right shoulder, severing muscle and bone as it exits his body and embeds itself into the tree behind him. The man pulls out the staff, causing more pain to course through his body. Fighting the urge to black out, a voice..._ 'Or is it a memory?'_...makes itself heard.

_Don't fight it, Raziel..._

_'Who...are you?'_ he implores.

_Give in to it...Trust me._

Hesitating for a moment, Raziel finally relents and lets the feeling wash over him. As he feels himself weaken, a sense of vertigo and displacement overwhelms him, filling him with power. His eyes burning brightly once more, Raziel levels an angry glare at the old man as he takes a step forward.

The old man stares in half-shock, half-amusement as the wound in Raziel's shoulder begins to close, bone and muscle reforming themselves. Raising the staff in readiness, he tries to attack the pale teen but jumps back as a bright beam of light suddenly shoots out from in front of him, slashing the air where he once stood.

Breathing heavily from the sudden rush of power, Raziel finally returns to the world of the living as his eyes focus on the figure in front of him. The clothes his opponent wore had a large slash across his chest, a thin trail of blood signifying that it had also pierced skin. Noticing a bright light coming from his arm, he looks down and gasps in surprise at the sight. Coiled around his arm was the familiar energy he had begun to accept since awakening in the alley several days ago. However, this time the energy trailed down his arm and formed into what appeared to be blade of light. Returning his gaze to the old man, he raises the sword at his enemy, ready to strike at a moments notice.

"You appear to have me at a disadvantage, Raziel," the old man replies in a mocking tone. "Perhaps another time." With that, the old man vanishes in a puff of smoke, a small amulet remaining on the ground.

Feeling drained, Raziel falls back on his knees, the ethereal sword still glowing in his hand. As he begins to lose consciousness, single word comes to mind as his last thoughts are of the wraith blade.

_'Reaver…'_

* * *

"Raziel, are you all right?" comes a familiar monotone voice. Slowly opening his eyes, he sees a beautiful face staring back at him, seemingly emotionless yet betrayed by the look in her eyes. 

"Raven? What happened?" he groans as he tries to sit up. "And why is it raining?"

"We defeated the giant," she answers simply. "As for the rain, those two," she adds while pointing to Lightning and Thunder as they apologize to the rest of the Titans. "can create rain apparently. The rain put out the giant," she smirks.

"Didn't you guys try to put it out already? Why did ordinary rain work on it?"

Raven gives a small shrug while shaking the water from her hair. "It's an elemental creature. I should have realized it would also take elemental magic to defeat it. What happened to you?" she asks.

"I fought the old man," Raziel replies as he shakily gets back to his feet, trying to not think about how the rain was affecting Raven's leotard. "He's much tougher than he looks."

"You don't know the half of it," Robin adds as he picks up a medallion laying on the ground. It was the same one the old man used to summon the fire giant. "Slade," comes the angry reply.

"Why do you think he wants to destroy the city?" Cyborg asks.

As the two Titans begin discussing the reasons behind the attack, the two brothers say their farewells to return to their home in the sky.

"Farewell, green one. May you live long and prosper,"(2) says Thunder. Bowing to the Tamaranian girl as well, the two disappear in a flash of light and hurtle to the clouds.

With the goodbyes said and done, the Titans begin to head back to the tower, the sun just beginning to rise over the horizon.

"Aww man, another all nighter!" moans Beastboy. "How am I ever going to get my beauty sleep?"

Raven starts to open her mouth to retort but shuts it after a moment's thought. _'Too easy,'_ she thinks. She begins to take to the sky and follow the rest of the team when a hand grabs her cloak all of a sudden. "You'd better have a good reason for touching me if you don't want to lose a hand," she threatens monotonously. Turning around, she sees Raziel with a neutral expression on his face. "Well? What is it?" she asks. Her question is answered as the teen raises his right arm in front of her, an ethereal blade manifesting itself in his hand.

"Have you ever heard of the 'Soul Reaver?"

* * *

The old man walks through the halls of his refuge, the few lights casting shadows all around. Taking off the hat he wore, he peels off his face, revealing a mask underneath the mask. As he sits on his throne, he runs a finger across the wound on his chest, hissing at the irritation. "You've surprised me time and time again, young Titan," he says out loud. He lets out a soft chuckle that turns into full blown laughter, his voice resonating through the whole room. "I'll be keeping an eye on you..." 

To be continued-

And so ends chapter 7. What do you guys think? I have an alternate ending to this chapter. If anyone wants to read it, just email me and I'll send it to you guys.

Omake:

"Old man. What is the meaning of this?" Thunder asks, his eyes never leaving the floating object.

"Watch and see," he replies. Raising both arms into the air, the amulet begins to emit a bright light; tendrils of power racing down from it towards the burning scarecrows the siblings had ignited earlier. Chanting in an unknown language, the fires burn brightly as a huge figure starts to manifest itself. Huge teeth and claws predominant on the beast as it turns it's gaze towards the one who summoned it, awaiting instructions.

"Go! Destroy it all!" commands the old man.

"Yuk, yuk yuk! I love you, you love me..." chants the giant purple dinosaur in a sing-song voice.

And to this day, the citizens of Jump city mourn the loss of the Teen Titans, destroyed by Barnizilla.

Notes:

(1) I THINK this is how it's spelled. Curse me and my lack of knowledge in Tamaranian Language!

(2) Tried drawing it actually.Checkmydeviant art site (see my profile)you want to see it.

(3) Dunno why I wrote that. Just sounded like something he'd actually say.


	8. Weakness

**Souls Entwined**

Disclaimer: Teen Titans and Legacy of Kain belong to their own respective creators. Thanks to all those who enjoy my story as much as I enjoy writing it.

Spartandude87: Thanks for the praise :) I try my best.

Red Mage Neko: Woohoo! I'm in your top 3? Thank you so much

Raving Lunatic: I'll try to describe his outfit more in the later chapters.

Wolfwood-Voresse: Yeah, we all have our spelling days :p

Skorpion: See a need (which was mine :p) fill a need, I always say. Which is how I began writing this fic -

Desert Tiger: Thanks. I love the way Raven acts in the series so I try to keep her as close as possible.

Deepcoiler: My bad. Spellcheck changed Kain to 'Cain'. Grrr. Hate spellcheck.

Kokuryu: Hahaha. Wouldn't we all want to know what they did to Raziel. :p As for Trigon, stay tuned and find out ;)

**Weakness**

People ran around the park without a care in the world, many not even having heard of the battle to save the city which took place last night. Children ate with their parents, teens played catch or whatever sport they liked. The Titans on the other hand had decided to take a well deserved rest, setting up a picnic in a secluded area of the park. While most of the group stayed out in the sun, two of the members had taken to the shade, not quite in the mood to enjoy the sunshine.

Raziel looks up at the noon time sun as it shines through the tree's leaves. Raising his hand to block the rays, he sighs in resignation as he makes a fist in the air, remembering the discussion he had with Raven the night before.

T-T-T

"_Have you ever heard of the 'Soul Reaver'"? Raziel asks the goth girl, the ethereal blade glowing brightly in his right hand. "Before I lost consciousness against that man, I...felt something...I can't really explain it. Next thing I realize, this," he emphasizes by waving the sword. "is in my hand."_

_Raven tries to hide her surprise at the sword before her, the sheer power it was emanating threatened to overwhelm her senses. It seemed to call out to her, drawing her in with its eerie glow. Reaching out to touch it, it suddenly winks out of existence as Raziel draws the energy back into himself, holding his arm close to him._

"_I...don't think that would be wise, Raven. Remember what happened the last time we touched? Who knows how this will react with your powers," Raziel replies, fearful not of what would happen to him but of what might happen to Raven should their powers not be as compatible as he believed._

_Raven scowls at what she believed was yet another person afraid of her powers. "Fine, if you don't want my help..." she trails off before she takes to the sky, leaving a confused Raziel staring up at her._

T-T-T

'_What did I do wrong?'_ ponders the pale goth as he turns his gaze to Raven. The empathy had taken to sitting underneath a tree a few meters away from him, apparently meditating as usual. Taking in every detail of the girl, he can see even from this distance the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she controls her breath, the way the wind plays with her cowl as it blows gently, the way her leotard clung to her like... He mentally slapping himself for even going into that train of thought, not quite willing to be on the receiving end of Raven's wrath. As if on cue, said girl suddenly levels her eyes on him, narrowing for a moment before turning away again in apparent disinterest. Deciding that it would be futile to think about it too deeply for the meantime, Raziel sighs in resignation and lies down once more, trying to meditate on this new development. His concentration is broken however, by a loud slurping sound above him. Opening his eyes, his surprised to find himself face to face with the red haired Starfire, a yellow bottle with a straw sticking out in her hands.

"Friend Raziel, why do you not join us at the picnic table? Cyborg has made some most wonderful 'Baby Back Ribs.' She blushes at the memory of when she first heard the name; horrified that they might be eating babies before Robin clarified with her it was only a naming convention used by humans and that no 'babies' were used. _'I was most distressed by that name,'_ she recalls as she takes another sip of the tangy yellow drink.

"I'm not really in the mood...uhhh...is that mustard?" Raziel replies, his eyebrow raised at the bottle in Starfire's hand.

"Is that what it is called? It is most delicious!" she beams, not really aware of the slight twitch in her friend's eye. "Is there more?" Starfire asks, holding t

"...I could take you to the supermarket later if you'd like?" answers the confused teen, not quite sure how to respond to Starfire's 'unusual' tastes. _'Must be a Tamaranian thing,'_ he decides.

"Really? That would be most glorious!" she replies, her patented 'puppy dog eyes' threatening to overwhelm the gothic teen's current mood. "I almost forgot! You must join us at the table," she urges as she grabs Raziel's arm and drags him to the rest of the team.

As Raziel approaches Robin and Cyborg, he gives the Titans leader a pleading look as the Tamaranian forces him into the bench. Robin simply smirks back at him, clearly enjoying the discomfort he was in. Seeing as that he was going to be stuck there for a while, Raziel decides to try the burger placed before him.

"Mmmm. 4 1/2 pounds of baby back ribs!" drools Cyborg before throwing manners to the wind and eating like there was no tomorrow. His eating spree continues until he notices Starfire's 'beverage' and they way she was drinking it. "Uhhh..," begins the cybernetic teen. "Star, do you know what you're drinking?"

"Yes. Raziel said it is mustard. It is a most wonderfully tangy drink. Do you want some?" she asks.

"I'll pass," Cyborg answers, trying to keep down his lunch.

Raziel looks towards the boy wonder, remembering the smirk he was given moments earlier. An evil thought comes to mind as he realizes the perfect revenge for that smirk. "How about Robin, Starfire? I'm sure he would LOVE to try some," Raziel tells the Tamaranian Girl, giving her his most disarming smile.

"Oh yes! Please do, Robin! It is most delightful," she beams as she hands Robin the bottle.

Robin glares briefly at the pale teen, noticing the smirk he was wearing, before giving Starfire a weak smile. _'What do I do? If I say no, I'll hurt Star's feelings. If I say yes, I hurt myself!'_ Robin thinks to himself, sweating bullets with each passing moment. Noticing Starfire's expectant expression and Raziel's growing grin, he steels himself and grabs the bottle from the Tamaranian's outstretched hand. Fighting to keep his hand from shaking, takes a deep breath before raising the 'drink' to Starfire. "Th...thanks Star," he stutters before taking a large gulp.

The smile on Starfire's face seemed to make Robin forget about the foul liquid currently in his mouth, her radiant expression having an almost calming effect. Almost. The mustard almost immediately starts to burn in his throat, his eyes beginning to water as the boy wonder struggles to maintain his poker face. "It's good," he croaks.

"Glorious! Do you wish for your own then? Starfire asks.

Robin vigorously shakes his head, unable to answer because of the pain yet still smiling through it all.

"I see," replies the girl. "I believe the Earth expression is now 'More for me,' correct?" she beams, taking another sip of the mustard.

Robin returns Starfire's smile briefly before turning a weak glare to Raziel. _'I'll kill you,'_ was what he tried to project but the pale teen seemed to only grin wider at the attempt.

'_You're nowhere near as good as Mobius at manipulation, little boy,'_ he smirks to himself as he raises the burger to his mouth. _'Who's Mobius?'_ Raziel suddenly wonders. His train of thought is broken as someone's voice begins to starts to whine and nag.

"C'mon Rae. They're chock full of soy beanie goodness."

"I respect that you don't eat meat. Please respect the fact that I don't eat fake meat," Raven counters monotonously. When Beastboy persists in his tofu spiel, she tries to drown out the whining with her meditation, closing her eyes and welcoming the darkness.

"Aww, c'mon. It's not as if you're going to die from eating it," Beastboy continues.

A twitch starts to develop on Raven's face as she valiantly tries to ignore the green changeling. Feeling tempted to blast him, the thought vanishes as another voice joins the conversation.

"I believe I'll try some...errr...tofu dogs."

"All right! Here you go, dude!" replies Beastboy cheerfully as he begins to munch down on his tofu dog. Finishing it in record time, he turns his gaze towards the 'logical person' to eat tofu.

Opening her eyes, she sees that the 'logical person' was none other than Raziel, currently eyeing the concoction with a wary gaze. She raises an eyebrow at the fellow goth, the expression on her face saying 'Are you serious?'.

Noticing that he was being stared at by Raven, he gives her a weak smile before proceeding to bite into the non-meat product. His eyes widen as the expected horrible taste...simply doesn't exist. _'It's...not bad,'_ he realizes. _'Not exactly flavorful either. There's something missing about it but at least it doesn't taste like Starfire's pudding,'_ Raziel shudders, the memory of the forced feeding coming back to him.

"Well?" Beastboy asks.

"Bland," replies Raziel, a sour expression on his face. Before he can say any more, the changeling assaults him with a spiel of how there are many vegan condiments for flavor and other vegan products.

"All right, enough of that," Cyborg yells out, silencing Beastboy who looks back at Cyborg in annoyance. "Who's up for some 'foo-ball?'" That got a reaction out of him as he leaves Raziel and joins up with the rest of the Titans; an eager expression on his face.

Thankful for a reprieve, Raziel heads back to his tree, taking a position underneath the shady branches.

"You comin', Raz?" Cyborg calls from the field.

"No thanks. Football's...not my thing," Raziel replies as he lazily waves off the offer.

Raven looks at him with a frown, not quite used to seeing a 'lazy' Raziel. Putting it down as something to ponder later as she is 'drafted' into being referee, she fails to notice the teen goth disappear in a puff of smoke.

T-T-T

"Where the heck am I!" yells Raziel as he opens his eyes to a pure white emptiness. Floating around as though weightless, he sees playing cards, handkerchiefs, and other various items just floating around. "Ok, this is...not good," he says to no one in particular. The prospect of being trapped forever in whatever this place was certainly wasn't appealing. At the back of his mind, however, the whole situation seemed almost familiar.

(Elsewhere)

"Thank you! You've been a wonderful audience!" gloats the magician as he exaggerates his bow in front of the bound store clerk. Looking around to make sure he didn't miss any of the jewelry he brings out a small wand and waves it about. "And now, Hocus Pocus!" A huge puff of smoke covers his whole body, causing the store clerk to squint as the smoke stings his eyes. As the smoke clears, said magician is still standing there, a confused expression on his face. "That's odd. Let's try again. Hocus Pocus!" This time, when the smoke clears the magician does vanish, leaving the clerk struggling to break out of his bonds.

"Mmrrff mmm? (Why me?)" he moans.

Far away, Mumbo Jumbo was already speeding towards his safe haven: the city junkyard. _'No one will think to look for me here,'_ he chuckles gleefully to himself. Stopping at a fairly hidden area of the junkyard, he whips out his booty bag, pulling out a large diamond easily worth a fortune. "Not bad for a matinee," he comments. "And they said diamonds are a girl's best friend." His good mood is ruined as a bird-a-rang knocks the gem out of his hand.

"Sorry Mumbo. But your act's just been cancelled," Robin gloats from atop one of the piles of refuse, Beastboy, Raven and Starfire ready to back him up.

Mumbo looks at the Titans in mock fear, slowly reaching into his jacket's pockets. "Now, now. I'm sure there's a perfectly non-violent way of solving this," he says as he tries to placate the approaching Titans. "Unfortunately THIS isn't one of them!" he shouts, his frown turning into a sneer. Pulling out several dozen cherry bombs, he tosses them at the young heroes.

"Titans! Spread out!" Robin yells out. The four of them barely get out of the way as the cherry bombs strike, proving to be more 'bomb' than 'cherry'. The explosions rock the area as they blow up the mountain of garbage. Seeing the destruction before him, Robin narrows his eyes at the laughing villain. "Take him down."

Raven launches pieces of trash while Starfire attacks with her starbolts, providing cover fire for Robin and Beastboy as they attempt to stop Mumbo Jumbo. Beastboy is the first, transforming into a ram and charging head first at the twisted magician.

"Pick a card," Mumbo taunts as he draws a deck of cards from his sleeve. "Every card!" Flicking the cards at the changeling, they suddenly grow to gigantic proportions, slamming into Beastboy and knocking him into a pile of junk.

With Mumbo's attentions on Beastboy, Raven picks up two large barrels with her dark energy and tosses them at the magician. Unfortunately, he turns around and notices the flying projectiles, a smirk on his face. Raising his arms, a flick of a wrist and a snap of his fingers dispels Raven's powers in an instant, transforming the barrels into harmless flowers.

"Ah ah ah. There's only room in this town for one magic user!" Mumbo sneers. Taking off his hat, he reaches into it and tries to pull something out but is blasted by a blue beam of energy.

"BOOYAH!"

"Cyborg, I thought I told you to get back to the tower?" Robin calls to his teammate, remembering the incident at the park. He is silenced however as Mumbo Jumbo gets back to his feet and starts retaliating. Jumping to a small ditch the two Titans return fire at the magician, said target dodging each attack with seemingly impossible movements.

"I got it covered. External battery pack." the metallic Titan responds, pointing to a huge device strapped to his back. With that said, he jumps out of the ditch and charges at Mumbo Jumbo. "Titans, GO!"

Unable to stop his teammate, Robin sighs in defeat and hopes that things don't turn ugly. _'At least he's here, unlike a certain someone who disappeared in the park,'_ Robin thinks darkly. _'Where the HELL is he, anyway?'_

T-T-T

"ACHOO!" Raziel sneezes suddenly in the void, wondering if he was getting a cold from the place. Discovering that he could somewhat 'fly' (if flailing around like and idiot counted) in the void, he had taken to trying to find a way out of his predicament. However, the search proved fruitless as all he encountered were dozens upon dozens of magicians' items: canes, stuffed rabbits, playing cards and the like. Soon he had gotten bored and irritated, not a very good combination, and started slashing at items at random.

'_Whoever put me here is in for a world of pain,'_ he grumbles to himself. He knew there was a way out. He had seen several items vanish through a portal earlier. Although the portal only lasted a few seconds, he caught a whiff of what seemed to be...garbage. _'Which means the outside world,'_ he thinks to himself. _'At least I hope it is.' _Keeping alert for any signs of a new portal opening, His patience soon pays off as one opens right in front of him, a swirling cacophony of colors which seemed to beckon him closer. Not quite believing his luck, he moves closer to the portal, ready to leap in wherever it may take him. Just as his hand is about to touch the portal, a low rumbling can be heard from behind him. A voice in the back of his mind warns him not to look back but like most people he ignores it. Turning around, he is greeted by a wave of pink rushing towards him, easily towering over his lithe frame. As it rushes to crush him, a single phrase comes to mind as he stares at his impending doom.

"Oh crap."

T-T-T

Raven dodges another of Mumbo's destructive cherry bombs, flying around in circles as she throws various items at the laughing magician. Her attacks fail each time as he somehow neutralizes her powers with a simple wave of his hand. _'How is he DOING that?' _Raven thinks to herself, squashing down the feeling of irritation as she lands a distance away from her opponent.

"Aww, don't run away," Mumbo jeers. "Look, I'll pull a rabbit out of my hat." Taking off his top hat, he points the opening at the dark sorceress and grins evilly. He frowns suddenly as nothing comes out, causing Raven to smirk.

"I always thought all magicians had rabbits in their hat but I guess you must have forgotten yours," she taunts, getting the desired reaction from the aqua skinned man.

Grumbling some obscenities about cheap equipment, Mumbo Jumbo reaches into the hat further than normal; his elbow now past the rim. "Ah! There we go!" he cheers. Pointing the hat back at Raven, it starts rumbling as the rim begins to grow wider.

Raven readies herself, raising her arms in defense against whatever Mumbo would throw against her. Her eyes widen in shock as Raziel suddenly pops out of the hat, a plethora of stuffed rabbits behind him. He slams into her, causing the two to fall in a twisted heap. All the while Mumbo laughs maniacally as the rabbits cover both teens, unaware of the unexpected output of his hat.

Finding himself suddenly covered in stuffed rabbits, Raziel growls in irritation. Soft fluffy bunnies were one thing, but PINK soft fluffy bunnies were seriously crossing it. Attempting to get back to his feet, he realizes that his landing was softer than expected as his hand grips one of the bunnies underneath. However, a moan of pain follows from under his hand causing him to raise an eyebrow in curiosity. Squeezing the bunny again slightly causes another moan from underneath the pile. _'This bunny seems rather warm...'_ His musing is cut short as a slim hand shoots up from under the pile of stuffed animals and grips his neck, cutting off his air supply.

Having a person slam into you did not exactly leave one conscious. Raven, however, was not like most people. Being half-demon did have its advantages: increased stamina, endurance, and recovery from all but the most debilitating of injuries. Already half awake she opens her eyes to the sight of dozens of stuffed rabbits staring at her. Scowling in irritation, she attempts to climb out of the huge pile but something grabs her chest and starts squeezing, causing her to let out a moan of pain.Before she can even think to remove the offending hand it squeezes again, albeit much gentler this time, causing her to moan involuntarily.

'_That felt kind of nice,'_ (1) comes the random thought before she goes into a full body blush. _'I did NOT just think that!'_ she vehemently denies to herself. Deciding to take action before her body betrays her again, she reaches out and tries to grab whoever was on top of her. Latching on to a neck, she squeezes it hard while using it to pull herself out from the pile of rabbits. As she clears the pile, she comes face to face with a thoroughly shocked Raziel who appeared to be turning slightly blue, causing her blush to deepen further.

"Raven...?" the goth teen rasps as his neck is still in Raven's vice-like grip. Finding out that Raven was now facing him allowed him to make the shocking realization of what his hand was currently fondling. Releasing the said object like it was on fire, Raziel breaths a sigh of relief as the hand around his throat releases him as well. Raising his gaze towards the equally pale girl, he nearly jumps back as she levels him a glare that could kill most men.

"Friend Raven, are you all right?" Starfire calls as she floats over the two teens, interrupting any retaliation Raven had planned for Raziel. "Raziel? How did you get here?" she asks, not quite realizing the compromising position that he was in.

"We'll talk about this **later**," she drones monotonously, not quite hiding her blush.

Starfire looks at the two, a puzzled expression on her face. She opens her mouth to ask what happened but several planks of plywood come flying at her, wrapping her in a magician's box.

Raziel turns around and sees the aqua skinned magician bring out a large saw and approach the bound Tamaranian.

"Thank you for volunteering. I have to warn you though, I have NO idea what I'm doing," Mumbo states as he begins to saw the box in half.

"EEEEE!" Starfire tries to break out of the box using her alien strength but no matter the amount of force she applies, the magically enhanced wood simply would not break. "A little help, please!" she cries out as the sound of the saw gets louder and louder.

Mumbo cackles gleefully as he continues his 'magic act.' He pauses however as a glowing blade comes dangerously close to his neck, nearly cutting off his goatee.

"I believe the lady wishes you to stop," Raziel growls, causing Mumbo Jumbo to drop the saw to the ground.

"Now, now. I'm sure we can work this out," he chuckles nervously, trying to placate the angry teen before him.

"I don't think so," retorts Raziel as he moves the blade closer to the magician, causing Mumbo to stumble backwards.

"Don't hurt me!" Mumbo Jumbo cries, raising his wand in a futile defense, the wand beginning to glow brightly.

Raziel's eyes widen in shock as the 'Reaver' (as the name seemed to be appropriate) in his hand begins to fade away, the energy retreating back into his arm. Grabbing the equally surprised magician by the collar of his shirt, he easily lifts him off the ground and glares angrily at him. "What did you do!" he hisses.

With the glowing sword no longer at his throat, the magician's usual smirk returns to his face as he gives a nonchalant shrug. "I didn't do anything," he replies before a powerful stream of water fires out of the flower on his lapel, knocking back the gothic teen. "Oh wait, now I did." Dashing over to a garbage truck, he easily gets the engine started and drives off in a cloud of dust, laughing all the way.

Spitting out water, a thoroughly drenched Raziel picks himself up as the rest of the Titans regroup. Robin, after checking on Starfire's condition, heads over to Raziel with a frown on his face.

"Where were you? We've been trying to reach you on your communicator."

"That's what I'd like to know..." grumbles Raziel in reply, causing Robin to raise an eyebrow in curiosity. Before Raziel can explain further, Raven surprisingly comes to his defense.

"Don't worry about it," she tells Robin, her arms wrapped protectively around her breasts. "I think I know where he was." Before Robin can ask for an explanation, she gives him a glare which says _I'll tell you later_.

Accepting her silent answer, Robin does a head count of the team and notices that they were still missing a member. "Has anyone seen Cyborg?"

"Last I saw he fell into a garbage truck," Beastboy answers while trying to get the garbage off his outfit.

Raziel looks around the dump before pointing off in the direction that Mumbo Jumbo drove off in. "I think **that** was the only truck here," he replies, still not quite able to look Raven in the eye.

"I told him to go home and repair himself!" Robin growls in exasperation, trying to hide his worry for his friend. "Titans, move out! We've got to find Mumbo Jumbo and hopefully Cyborg. Starfire, Beastboy. See if you can spot the truck from the air. Raven, you and Raz...?" Turning to their resident goth girl, Robin looks on in amusement as he sees the still damp Raziel being dragged by Raven, a look of worry on his face. _'Serves him right for making drink that mustard,'_ he smirks to himself. _'Anything I can think of will pale compared to what Raven can do.'_

The team starts to move out to search for the thieving magician and their cybernetic friend. As Raven watches them head out while she levels a glare at the dripping teen beside her.

Raziel looks on in question as Raven suddenly begins walking towards him. Opening his mouth to ask why, he closes it as Raven suddenly raises one of her arms.

SLAP

"What was that for!" he retorts angrily, rubbing the spot where he was slapped.

"That was for touching 'it,'" she replies icily.

"Well, I guess I did deserve that...SLAP...WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" Raziel bites back, now both cheeks feeling quite sore.

"That was for trying to kill Mumbo Jumbo. The Titans DON'T kill," Raven explains almost condescendingly. "But in your case I might make an exception if you try that again."

"I'm so scared," Raziel drawls, earning another glare from Raven. He ignores it though, still peeved at the second slap.

"Don't push it," she retorts sardonically. "I'll search the rooftops. You search the streets. There aren't many places he can take that truck." With that, Raven flies off, leaving the gothic teen to fend for himself.

"This will be difficult," he muses out loud, still pondering what to do about the Reaver in its current condition.. Reminding himself to inform Raven about Mumbo's particular ability later, he runs off after the dark girl, scanning the streets for any sign of their objective.

T-T-T

"Hocus Pocus!" With a wave of his wand, several cash machines start dispensing their contents onto the sidewalk, reminiscent of a casino's slot machine. "Jackpot!" yells Mumbo Jumbo as he bows to an invisible audience. "And now for my next trick..."

"For your next trick, you're going to change into something black and white with strips all over," Robin counters as he swings down from the rooftops. Flipping open his communicator, his eyes never leave the tricky magician as he contacts the rest of the team. "Titans! He's at the bank machines on 5th and Grand. Converge on my signal!"

Mumbo takes off his hat in another bow, holding it above the piles of money. "I'm sorry. No private shows." With that, the money mysteriously zips into his hat like a vacuum would suck dirt. In the time it took for Robin to blink, the trickster had already pocketed the entire contents of the cash machines. "Sorry, no time for autographs," bids the magician before he runs into the side alleys. He doesn't get far though as he makes a wrong turn and hits a dead end. Turning around to find another route, he finds that he is face to face with a rather angry looking green bull. Most people would probably cringe at the sight but with Mumbo's current state of mind, he simply found humor in the situation. Taking off his cape, he waves it in front of Beastboy like a matador.

Mooing in displeasure, or rather 'Take me lightly, will you?' in cow speak, Beastboy charges at the matador-wannabe, intent on head butting him into next week. He fails to notice the smirk on Mumbo's face as the magician continues to wave his cape in front of him. Being a narrow alley, he knew that there was no where for Mumbo Jumbo to avoid a huge rampaging bull so he poured on the speed and head-butts his foe.

CRASH

"Ole!" jeers the magician as he removes his cape, revealing the now broken pile of bricks where Beastboy lay. His cheer is short lived as a green bolt of energy slams into the pavement beside him. "Whoops! Time to go!" Running from the Tamaranian girl, he dodges each of her attacks with seeming ease, causing Starfire to frown in frustration. "Aww, don't frown. Here. Flowers for the lady," he 'consoles', tossing a bouquet at her.

"What...eeep!" yells Starfire as the flowers blow up in her face, knocking her out of the sky.

"Another Titan, another dollar," the mad magician giggles.

"Azarath...Metrion..."

Hearing the familiar chant, Mumbo Jumbo looks up as he sees the gothic girl levitating high above preparing one of her spells and shakes a finger at her. "Ah, ah, ah. What did I say about using magic?" he taunts. "Alakazam!" he shouts, pointing his wand at Raven. When nothing comes out of the wand, Mumbo looks at it in puzzlement before giving a nervous shrug. "Oh well, can't always work." He then turns tail and runs as fast as his legs could carry him.

Smirking to herself, Raven continues her concentration of her spell when all of a sudden her powers suddenly stop working, her eyes losing their glow almost immediately. _'This isn't good,'_ she manages to think before she begins to plunge several stories down. From the height she was at, the fall would break at least a few bones once she hit the pavement if not worse. Panic begins to set as with the street rushes to meet her. Right before she hits the pavement, Ravens vision goes red as a voice begins speaking in her mind.

"(**I can't have you dying on me just yet, child,**)" comes the deep guttural voice.

Feeling her body move of its own volition, the last thing she hears is Raziel calling out her name as the whole world goes black.

T-T-T

Feeling someone giving her a light shake, Raven slowly opens her eyes to a concerned Raziel looking down at her. Suddenly self conscious of her position in his arms, she tries to hide her blush by hiding it within her cowl.

"Are you all right?" he asks, genuine concern on his face. "You took a nasty fall. I'm surprised that you don't have any broken bones."

"I'm fine!" Raven snaps, unused to the emotions suddenly breaking through the surface and removing herself from Raziel's arms. "Where's Mumbo Jumbo?" Looking around, she sees that they were the only Titans in the area. "And where's everyone else?" she asks, feeling miffed that no one but Raziel seemed to care that she fell nearly 15 stories.

"I told them I'd make sure you were all right," responds Raziel. "Robin looked rather peeved at the way he dealt with each of us and looked ready to tear Mumbo a new hole," he adds. "I decided to stay behind with you since I can't be of much help against him at the moment."

"That sounds about right," Raven answers, feeling somewhat relieved that her team was concerned for her well being. Raziel's stare on her was unnerving however, causing her to glare back at the new Titan. "What?" she asks. "Shouldn't we be heading after him?"

"You go ahead," responds Raziel. "My powers still haven't returned, remember? You don't want me slowing you down."

Raven gives him a curious look, the tone of his voice hinting at something being hidden from her. "Are you sure you'll be all right here?"

"Why Raven, I'm touched you care for my well being," he smirks, causing the normally stoic teen to glare back at him.

"Fine then. If you ever get a broken arm again (1) don't come running to me," she retorts, a faint hint of a smile on her face as she flies off after their opponent.

As Raziel watches the dark witch head off, he lets out a sigh of relief. _'Maybe it was just my imagination,'_ he thinks to himself as he recalls the scene which occurred just moments ago.

_Following the sounds of the battle, he caught sight of Raven as Mumbo Jumbo did the same trick that had blocked off his powers. As she fell, he pushed his body as hard as he could to try to catch her. He knew he wouldn't make it in time but that didn't stop him from trying. However, as he neared the goth girl he saw her eyes suddenly glow with a bright red light as she spread out her limbs and muttered something in an unknown language. Her body was quickly enveloped in black energy just before she slammed into the concrete, the impact causing a huge impression on the street._

_Rushing to her side and fearing the worst, his eyes widened in shock as he found Raven unscathed and simply unconscious. Moving her out of the crater and to a safer location, Robin had dropped by and nearly had a fit, thinking he had done something to Raven. Placating the Titan leader had proven difficult but brining up the fact that Mumbo had done the same thing to his powers earlier and the fact that the said magician was getting away helped calm the situation. After Robin had left, he then proceeded to wake up the unconscious Raven who upon awakening seemed to have no recollection whatsoever of the fall._

'_Which brings me to another puzzle,'_ Raziel muses as he stands over the impression Raven's body left on the street. The city would throw a fit at the amount of work that would have to be done to repair the damage. For a girl of Raven's size, she had left a surprisingly huge crater on her 'landing.' The stories the Titans had told him implied only someone around the level of Superman (whoever he was) could leave such an impression from simply falling. Granted Raven could actually be that durable was something Raziel had considered if it weren't for one glaring fact.

The impression on the pavement was that of giant (2), and a male one at that. Debating whether to even bring up the question to Raven, he heads off after the rest of the team and their target.

T-T-T

"Five against one? Where's the fairness in that?" whines Mumbo Jumbo as he dodges every attack the Titans throw against him, not noticing the subtle nods each of the Titans were giving each other.

"Starfire! Now!" Robin yells.

Powering up her starbolts, she fires them around the magician causing a makeshift smokescreen.

"Wha?" was all Mumbo could say as the teens disappeared from his sight. Running into the smoke in the hopes of escaping the trap, he bumps into an immovable object, bruising his nose. As the smoke begins to clear, he sees two glowing eyes glaring back at him with the promise of pain.

"Miss me?" Raziel growls, causing Mumbo Jumbo to jump back in shock.

"I beat you before, and I can do it again!" he counters as he raises his wand and points it at the gothic teen. Before he can even utter any magic words, a kick from below knocks the wand out of his hand and into the air. "No!" he yells as he tries to catch it, only to be flattened by a green panda.

"Rawr!" Beastboy says, or 'Your act just got cancelled,' if a panda actually had the vocal chords necessary for speech.

Eyes wide in surprise at being caught, he watches as his wand flies through the air to land in the hands of the same teen he had zapped before.

Grinning madly underneath his scarf, Raziel grips the wand in both hands as the magician shakes his head violently. "I am going to enjoy this," he smirks as he easily breaks the artifact. As soon as he does, a surge of energy rushes forth from his arm, the ethereal blade materializing once more as the magic which sealed it away was no longer present.

"Bwaaaaaah!" cries Mumbo like a little child, the money and all the jewels he had stolen pouring out of his costume like a slot machine jackpot prize. As the last of the money reappeared, the costume he wore seemed to be sucked right into the hat, the hat disappearing like a mini black hole which revealed a quivering old man in the place where Mumbo Jumbo used to be.

"Where's Cyborg?" Robin yells as he picks up the former villain and raises him to his face.

"Wha...what do you mean?" stutters the old man, no longer in any position to fight back against the Titans.

"Back at the junkyard. He fell into the truck you stole. Where IS he?" Robin growls out.

"I don't know! When your friend broke my wand, he also broke all my spells. If I DID something to him, 'Poof', he'd be right here!" he frantically answers, the glare he was receiving scaring him out of his wits.

"But that means he's..." Raziel begins.

"...back at the Junkyard," Raven finishes.

"Titans!" Robin says, each of the Titans acknowledging the unspoken order.

"Does this mean I get to go?" the villain formerly known as Mumbo Jumbo asks sheepishly.

"Right, like that's going to happen," Raziel answers sarcastically, his eyes glowing brightly once more at the magician.

"Well, someone's got to take him to jail," Beastboy speaks up with a rare non-idiotic comment.

"I'll do it," Raziel answers a just a little too quickly. "I've got some questions for our little magic user that I need answered."

"You're not going alone with him," Raven interjects, remembering Raziel's last outburst against the old man.

"What? I'm not going to hurt him...(much)," Raziel counters, muttering the last part silently and unaware that Raven HAD heard the last part.

"Then it's settled. We'll look for Cyborg. You two take him to jail," Robin adds before running off, Beastboy and Starfire following after him.

Raven stares in surprise at the retreating figures in the distance, Raziel smirking beside her.

"Shall we get going, 'partner'?" he jokes. "I promise I won't hurt the old man, as much as seeing his face makes me want to smash it in." The old man in turn looks fearfully at the teen, knowing full well he had the power to back up the threat.

"Don't push it," she replies. Taking a look at all the loot that was currently laying all around them, Raven pinches the bridge of her nose in irritation. _'The things I have to do,'_ she groans silently. Calling forth her powers, she levitates each and every item and starts flying off in the direction of the police station. "Well?" she snaps, stopping in mid-flight as she turns to Raziel.

"Must be useful for cleaning up," Raziel comments as he picks up the old man and carries him on his shoulder.

"You have no idea," she drawls monotonously. "And don't even think about it," she adds.

"I already promised I wouldn't smash his face in," mutters Raziel. _'It's not as if he's Mobius,'_ he adds. _'Wait. Who's Mobius?'_

With Raven in her usual quiet mode and Raziel trying to figure out the origin of the name, an uncomfortable silence hangs in the air as the two make their way to the police station. Mumbo Jumbo looks between the two teens, curious about what the conversation was about. Smirking as a particularly funny thought comes to mind, he sets about on enjoying his last moments of freedom. _'Not as if I can do anything else without my wand,'_ he muses. "So, how long have you been going out?" he says out loud, causing Raziel to miss a step and Raven to nearly drop her cargo.

Both teens' eyes suddenly glow brightly and glare back at the old man, a faint blush on both their faces. "What did you SAY?" Raven almost growls at the man, a hint of a snarl on her face

Deciding he had nothing to lose, Mumbo Jumbo pushes the offensive and continues his tirade. "Oh, look. Matching eyes. You two are perfect for each other. Ahh, young love," he sighs in exaggeration. "You're really lucky, you know that? If I had her for an assistant, could you imagine the crowds I could draw?"

Teenage hormones taking effect, Raziel turns his gaze to the fellow goth, running his eyes up her slender frame. Raven however was staring back at the old man incredulously, not really noticing Raziel's lingering gaze.

"I don't do magic," she drones monotonously but if one listened closely there was more than a hint of anger in her voice. "And I don't do dating." The second part however, seemed more wistful than anything else.

Raziel, sensing something was amiss, glares back at the old man as he resumed his walking "I believe the lady declined your offer," he snaps, more for himself than for the old man. The sharpness in his voice however making it apparent that the conversation was over. Raven's equally angry look makes it all the more clear.

Wisely shutting up, Mumbo Jumbo chuckles to himself at his little manipulation of the two, whistling a little tune as he is hauled off.

Raven on the other hand was still berating herself for allowing her emotions to react to such an obviously childish attempt at a prank. _'My emotions seem to be getting more and more erratic. I need to meditate some more,'_ she thinks. So deep was her musings that she almost didn't hear Raziel calling her from below.

"Raven!" Raziel shouts a third time, finally getting the attention of the floating girl. "We're here," he adds, pointing to the waiting police in front of them.

Landing beside one of the police officers, she dumps the stolen loot into this arms which unfortunately happened to be a lot, burying him under a pile of money and jewels. As she starts to walk away, Raziel places a hand on her shoulder and stops her mid stride.

"What was that all about? First I have to call your attention and now you bury that poor officer under that pile. If I were to haphazard a guess, you were actually developing a sick twisted sense of humor," he grins. "I like that."

"I just...have a lot on my mind," she answers, trying to hide her blush at the compliment. However, the blush quickly fades as she remembers her earlier promise to herself. "Look, let's catch up with the others. We need to find out what happened to Cyborg so I can catch up on my meditation"

"Right," Raziel replies. "But still, I'm surprised at your reaction to the magic comment. Aren't you a magic user?" he asks.

"Not by choice," she whispers, almost too soft to hear.

"What do you...?" Before Raziel can get a second question in, Raven flies off in the direction of the junkyard. "Curiouser and curiouser," he muses to himself before chasing after the magical Titan.

T-T-T

In Mumbo Jumbo's jail cell, the said villain looked around his drab surroundings with a sigh, a platter of fried chicken laying on his bed. "It's all the Titan's fault! One of these days, I'll show them the true power of Mumbo Jumbo!"

"(**Remember who that power comes from,**)" comes a deep voice.

"Master!" Mumbo whispers, lowering his head in reverence.

"(**I am displeased at your performance. I gave you power beyond mortals' comprehension and still you failed?**)"

"It wasn't my fault master!" he answers, ignoring the stares of his fellow prisoners. "I did as you told me but then the Teen Titans showed up. I didn't know they had someone who was immune to the wand. Well, almost immune," he adds at the end.

"(**Explain.**)" the voice asks, which only Mumbo Jumbo could hear.

"One of them had this glowing sword from his hand. I tried to cast a spell on him but it didn't work. All it did was weaken him and he just got mad and broke the wand. The other was this weird girl with the glowing eyes. Brrr. She was creepy," he recounts. When his master doesn't respond, he begins to sweat profusely, wondering if he did something wrong in any way.

"(**This information is quite interesting to me, my servant.**)" the voice finally replies."(**You have done well, and shall be rewarded.**)"

Sighing in relief, Mumbo Jumbo suddenly feels a long hard object in his pants. Pulling it out, he sees that it is a new wand, not unlike the one that was broken by Raziel. With a wave of his hand, his prison attire transforms back into the tuxedo and top hat trademark of the magical villain. "Hahaha! Watch out, Raziel! Mumbo Jumbo is making a comeback appearance!" Another wave of his wand and he disappears in a puff of smoke, leaving an empty jail cell in his wake. A few seconds later, however, has him back in the cell with the same puff of smoke. "But first," he says, immediately digging in to the fried chicken. "Can't let good food go to waste."

Elsewhere however, the Mumbo Jumbo's master ponders this latest development. "(**These Titans cannot be allowed to interfere,**)" he says to himself. "(**The wheel must turn,**)"

T-T-T

"Brrr."

"What's wrong?" Raven asks.

"I have no idea. It was like someone was talking about me," Raziel answers, looking around the area for anything amiss.

"Oh please, that's just an old wives tale. If you don't want to enter the sewers then say so," she retorts, jumping into the sewers where Robin and the rest were.

"I still say someone was talking about me," he replies before giving a shrug and jumping in after her.

To be continued.

AUGH! First of all, I'd like to apologize to all my readers. This chapter came out a lot later than I expected. It's amazing how swamped I got and how easily I put off writing this. Again, my apologies. At least now I'm FINALLY on to NEVERMORE! Wheee!

Notes:

(1) Teenager + hormones + repressed / suppressed emotions. I think this could happen

(2) A scene I remember from a movie I saw but I hope it gave the correct impression. Get it? Impression? The fall? Errr. I'll shut up now :-p

Omake 1: I spy, with my little eye, something long, hard, and...yellow?

"(**This information is quite interesting to me, my servant.**)" the voice finally replies."(**You have done well, and shall be rewarded.**)"

Sighing in relief, Mumbo Jumbo suddenly feels a long hard object in his pants. Pulling it out of his pocket, his eyes widen as he finds a No. 2 Pencil with several teeth marks.

"(**So that's where it went,**)" the voice rumbles, the pencil vanishing suddenly into a portal. "(**I have no need of you anymore.**)" As the voice fades away, the sounds of someone chewing on a pencil could be heard. "(**Mmmm. Good pencil.**)"

Mumbo Jumbo just gives a blank stare at where the pencil once was, wondering what the heck just happened.

Omake 2: What Raven really wants.

Deciding he had nothing to lose, Mumbo Jumbo pushes the offensive and continues his tirade. "Oh, look. Matching eyes. You two are perfect for each other. Ahh, young love," he sighs in exaggeration. "You're really lucky, you know that? If I had her for an assistant, could you imagine the crowds I could draw?"

"I believe the lady..." Raziel begins before Raven interjects.

"Really? You think I could draw the crowds?" Raven asks almost unusually enthusiastic.

"Of course. Stick with me, kid. I'm gonna make you a star!"

"But Raven," Raziel tries to ask, failing to notice Raven's now Pink cloak. However, Raven dumps all the stolen loot on top of him, causing him to lose his hold on the old man.

"Let's go," Raven beams, levitating Mumbo Jumbo and flying off with him into the sunset.

Omake 3: Why you should never play with magic around Raven.

"Azarath...Metrion..."

Hearing the familiar chant, Mumbo Jumbo looks up as he sees the gothic girl levitating high above preparing one of her spells and shakes a finger at her. "Ah, ah, ah. What did I say about using magic?" he taunts. "Alakazam!" he shouts, pointing his wand at Raven.

Bracing herself from whatever spell he threw at her, Raven is surprised to see that nothing bad happened to her. Facing the villainous magician, she is surprised to see him staring back at her, frozen like a statue.

"Raven! Look out for..." Raziel's words die in his throat as he sees Raven floating up in the air, his mouth suddenly feeling quite dry.

By now Raven was curious as to why both Mumbo Jumbo and Raziel had both frozen in their motions. _'Could that spell be even more powerful than I thought? But why don't I feel anything?'_ she wonders. "And why is it so cold all of a sudden?" Looking down at Raziel, she could see a thin trail of blood leaking from his nose, his face unusually pink and flushed. By looking down however, she could now see the causes for the sudden freezing of the two males and the unusual draft she was feeling. Shaking with unbridled anger, Raven turns towards Mumbo Jumbo with death clearly seen in her four blood red eyes.

Mumbo Jumbo, still transfixed on the sight before him barely notices the four eyes as a deep guttural voice roars across the city.

"**RaGE sHaLL COnSUme YOU!**"

T-T-T

Opening his eyes and expecting himself to be in a prison hospital, he is surprised to see that not only is he not in prison but alive and well. However, the scene before him was not anything he had ever seen. "Hey, where am I?" Mumbo Jumbo wonders as he stares at the bleak landscape before him. "And what are all these crows doing here? And why do they have four eyes...?"

Omake 4: You know this sounds familiar.

"How did you know where to find me?" the villain formerly known as Mumbo Jumbo asks sheepishly as the police arrive on the scene.

"It was simple once you got past your magic tricks," Raziel answers sarcastically, his eyes glowing brightly once more at the magician.

"The problem is that you keep on using the same attacks on us. We were bound to adapt," Raven adds.

"Curses!" Mumbo Jumbo yells as the police start to take him away. "I would have gotten away with it too, if it hadn't been for you meddling kids!"

Elsewhere:

"RAA-CHOO!"

"Bless you Scooby."


	9. Revelations

**Soul's Entwined**

Author's preface:

Well, another chapter finally written. Thanks to all those who reviewed my last chapter:

**Raving Lunatic:** Glad you liked the Omakes. I certainly had fun writing them.

**liljimmyurine:** Well, we'll just have to see p

**Red Mage Neko**: I just read Post's fics. Wow, he IS good p Thanks for ranking me up so high though.

**Spartandude87**: Thanks again for the reviews and the ideas

**forsaken-uratha-lord: **Glad you like the story.**  
**

**wolfwood-Voresse**: Noooo! Please don't hurt me! scurries off to write the next chapter

**desert-tiger**: Ahh, yes. A most memorable and mysterious time p

**Wanderer3**: Glad to know my story appeals to you as well.

**X-Over:** Don't worry. I'll continue to write this story

**Boongdaba**: Yes, finally! Hehehe. Even I was waiting to see how it turned out.

**Deepcoiler**: Thanks for the review. I definitely appreciate it.

**Cre-ator14 **: Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'm still trying to work Raziel a bit better so thanks for the comments.

**Chained2aMask**: Well, it's in the pipeline but I'm going to try to hit all of the TT episodes for this. Glad to know I made you laugh.

Disclaimer: I don't own...ahh whatever. (Not like I can afford the license anyway p)

**Revelations**

Waking up to the sound of birds chirping, the slumbering figure groans as she pulls the covers over her head in an effort to drown out the noise; to no avail of course. Sitting up abruptly, she gives a yawn before heading to the bathroom for her usual morning ritual. Getting done faster than expected, Raven puts on her outfit and heads to the common hall, half expecting the rest of the team to already be up given that she wasn't really a morning person. As she approaches the commons area, she could hear the rest of the team in their usual banter whenever they had down time.

"So, what pizza do you guys want?" Robin asks, most likely going through one of the flyers dropped at their door every day, she thinks to herself..

Raven sighs as she knows the question would, as usual, generate the typical argument that they always had whenever they ate out; meat or no meat and Starfire's unusual choice for toppings. Upon reaching the door, the sensors automatically detect her presence and open up, revealing all the said Titans around the table in friendly conversation for once. The one thing out of place though was that as soon as she entered the room it became deathly silent, all eyes trained on her. Not quite sure as to why they were staring, she gives a tentative wave of her hand to the group. "Good...morning?"

"Titans! Move!" Robin yells.

Raven watches in shock as her 'friends' start to attack her with everything they had. Cyborg had transformed his arm into sonic-canon mode and fired a volley of shots at her, nearly clipping her on the shoulder. The normally jovial Beastboy had transformed into a velociraptor and was snapping and clawing madly like his namesake; any indication of humanity no longer present. Even the normally timid Starfire, someone she considered to be her closest, if not best, friend had turned on her, firing dozens of starbolts at the spot where she stood. Raising her arms in defense, the starbolts explode harmlessly against a black field of energy, shielding her from any harm.

"Starfire, what...?" The words die in her mouth as the Tamaranian snarls at her with unbridled fury.

"You will not live to see tomorrow, demon!"

Pausing in shock at the accusation, it leaves her open to Robin's attack as he swings his bo-staff at her midsection, knocking her off her feet and into the television behind her; the broken appliance shorting out and sending painful currents of electricity into her body. Screaming in pain, her body goes on auto-pilot and creates an expanding force field, blowing apart the tv and freeing her from a potentially fatal electrocution. Struggling to her feet, Raven fails to notice Robin creep up behind her and grasp her neck, slamming her to the ground with one of his patented martial arts moves.

"Starfire, now!" the Titan leader commands, just as Raven tried to get back to her feet.

Taking her cure, the Tamaranian uses her super-human strength and rushes at her target, easily knocking her through the window and into the sea surrounding the tower.

Raven gasps for air as she climbs out of the sea, slowly crawling her way across the beach. Clutching her bruised side from Starfire's attack, she painfully raises her gaze to the Tower and sees all the Titans already on their way down, promises of pain or worse evident in their eyes. Each of their glares tore deeply through her emotional barriers, hurting her more than any physical blow ever would. Depression beginning to set in, she lowers her head in resignation, ready to receive the fatal blows. As she looks down at her reflection one last time, what she sees causes her to shake with fear.

Instead of her normal appearance, she sees a red skinned, white haired demon with four glowing yellow eyes staring back at her.

T-T-T

Shooting up from her bed, Raven begins hyperventilating as the images from her dream still burned in her mind, her body shaking from both fear and anxiety. As she grips the sheets, she notices that they were soaked in her own sweat, her own nightgown sticky and clinging to her like a second skin. Glancing at the clock and seeing the ugly '12:01' glowing a bright red, she sighs in defeat as she knew that after that episode, it would take some time to get back to sleep. Deciding her time would be better spent meditating, she leaves her room and heads to her usual roost on the roof. To her surprise, she sees Raziel already outside in his own 'meditation' if you could call it that.

Raziel, for all intents and purposes, was dead to the world. He was in what appeared to be a feral kata with the Soul Reaver drawn in all its glory. Each slash and thrust seemed so full of power and raw energy that it seemed to draw Raven in like a moth to a flame. Seemingly unaware of his surprise audience, he continued in the dance of death with his invisible opponent. If there was someone in front of him, they would surely be nothing more than a smear on the pavement when Raziel was done with them.

Entranced by the sheer power exuding from the blade, Raven takes a hesitant step forward which causes Raziel to stop in mid-strike as he finally sensed Raven's presence behind him. "I..." Raven begins, feeling somewhat conscious of Raziel as he gives her a curious expression.

"Couldn't sleep either?" Raziel finishes, half asking and half stating a fact. With the sword in his hand retreating back into his arm, he holds out the same arm towards Raven who was still unusually silent. "Care to join me, my lady?" he jokes, trying to ignore the fact that she was in a nightgown.

Shaken out of her stupor by the exaggerated act, she gives him one of her weaker glares and heads to her usual spot on the edge of the roof. Getting into her meditation position, she tries to settle her mind from the images still fresh from her dream.

Raziel gives the girl a concerned look as she began meditating. While it may have seemed to her that he could hear her footstep as she approached him, the truth was it was far from that. He had heard her well before she stepped foot on the roof and that unnerved him. Ever since he joined the Titans his 'abilities' had started to manifest themselves rather quickly and they, for lack of a better term, had made him feel less and less human. His thoughts had kept him up on a nightly basis thus he had taken to simply tiring himself out to the point of exhaustion which not surprisingly had been quite difficult to do.

Tonight however had him an unexpected audience in the form of the sorceress known as Raven. Knowing it was her he simply dismissed her presence and continued with his workout. What had stopped him was that when she did approach, there was an aura of fear that was lingering around her and something else which he could not place. How he knew it was fear, he absolutely had no idea but there it was. Raven's powers, from what he gathered from her friends, involved immense control over her emotions. Why she did it he would have to find out some other time but tonight her fear was overpowering. In some aspect, it seemed to call out to him. It had been so long since he tasted raw fear.

"What the hell...?" Raziel blurts out loud at the thought which just passed through his head. His little statement though is enough to disturb Raven as she opens one eye at the teen.

"You're disturbing my concentration," she states monotonously.

"Somehow, I doubt that," he replies nonchalantly, taking a seat beside the now scowling girl. "Something else is disturbing you. You've never come up here at this time of night."

"One, nothing is disturbing me except maybe you. Two, you don't know that. Three, I didn't ask for your company," she counters.

"Well, as it stands you now have my undivided attention," he replies without missing a beat. "Is there something you want to talk about?" Raziel notices she flinches ever so slightly but decides to keep the fact that he knew quiet for now. When she doesn't respond, he simply lies down on his back and stares at the stars. "Your powers are...curious, for lack of a better term," he comments. For some reason he couldn't comprehend he was trying to make small talk, something he was sure he disliked doing. "For which I'm sure our mutual green friend is glad to have on his side instead of against him," he jokes.

"They're powers I'd rather do without," she quips suddenly, then mentally slapping herself for saying it out loud. Tonight was a particularly bad night. Her emotions were beginning to seep through the icy control she had long thought was firmly in place. That nightmare had allowed old fears and insecurities to come back in full force. "I don't need your company," she adds.

Noticing that she wasn't exactly in the most talkative of moods, Raziel decides to simply lie down and get some rest, the night's exertions finally taking their toll. "Very well, then. I'll leave you to you 'meditations,'" he responds just as dryly.

Giving an angry huff at his little barb, she returns to her meditation, every so often taking a peek to check if he still lay there. _'Why does anyone even bother with me?' _Raven wonders as she watches the sleeping teen beside her, subconsciously thankful that he decided to stay. The dream had unnerved her greatly and ANYONE's presence,_'even Beastboy's'_, she shudders, would have been welcome. Not that she would admit to it, of course. One thing puzzled her though. Ever since putting on the costume that Starfire and Beastboy had made for him, she had rarely seen him take off the scarf which hid most of his face the same way Robin simply refused to take off his mask. Putting it down to quirks which every Titan seemed to possess, she tries to resume meditating but Robin's voice comes over Raziel's comm. device.

"(Titans! Someone's attacked an armored car down in John street. Move out!)"

Raziel wakes up with a start, his slumber broken by the sudden announcement from the offending electronic device. Still half-asleep, he gives a tired yawn while mumbling curses about Murphy's law and villains' timing. "So which of a crackpot villain are we taking on this time?" he asks Raven only to see the girl phase through the floor, leaving him alone on the roof.

"I have got to find out how she does that."

T-T-T

"You mere mortals are no match for the brilliance of Doctor Light!" the villain jeers as he knocks over the armored car with a beam of pure light, knocking out the helpless security guards inside.

"Sorry, but it's light's out for you!" Robin counters as he and the Teen Titans appear on the scene.

"I thought Doctor Light was good," Raziel whispers to Raven as the villain begins monologuing.

"Different Light. Different gender," Raven replies monotonously before flying up into the air get into a better position to attack,

'_So now they're stealing names as well as gold?'_ Raziel muses as he charges at the photonic fighter. Unlike their usual fights, this one started almost entirely in favor of their opponent. Each attack that Robin, Beastboy or Starfire made was neutralized with one of the Doctor's many devices. Even Cyborg's uncanny strength was no match for the well placed and calculated attacks the Doctor used.

"Now if you don't mind, I'll be taking the gold," he taunts, standing over the trapped form of Cyborg. Ignoring the angry outbursts from the cybernetic Titan, he leisurely strolls over to what remained of the armored car, confident in his victory over the Teen Titans. His victory is cut short as a figure jumps over the overturned vehicle and lands hand first on his shoulders, performing a toss that would have made Robin proud.

"For a doctor, you seem to have trouble with counting," Raziel taunts as he chases after the fallen villain who was just regaining his bearings from the sudden attack. He and Raven had decided on a pincer attack, with him attacking head on with his uncanny endurance and her from behind while Doctor Light was distracted. Raven was already behind the doctor, chanting her spells of power for her attack. Before they could even get close however, the doctor's confused expression suddenly turns to one of arrogance once more.

"You're right. A slight oversight on my part which I intend to rectify," he sneers.

Raziel stops his charge and braces for the attack, quite sure that the doctor's attention was fully on him. His eyes widen in shock however as the doctor spreads out his arms, each arm pointing at one Titan. "Raven! Look out!" he shouts, too little too late. Revelation that the doctor knew Raven was behind him had caused Raziel to lower his own defenses. The blast slams into him with more strength than he realized, knocking him through the wall of a building.

Raven fared no better, the blast hitting her square in the chest and sending her sprawling to the pavement. Anger rising at the ease with which she was dispatched, she telekinetically levitates a motorcycle and tosses it at the doctor.

"I see you don't need those magic words after all," he laughs, blasting the bike apart with another focused beam of light.

Raven starts to slowly back away, a small voice telling her to run from the powerful villain. It was if as if she was a small child again and the feeling mortified her.

Doctor Light notices this however, and presses his advantage, blasting the ground in front of her while laughing maniacally; each blast sending up shrapnel at the pale teen.

"Raziel! Raven!" Starfire yells from behind the forcefield of light. No human could have survived being thrown through a building no matter how strong they were. Bringing her Tamaranian strength to bear, she launches a flurry of punches at the field, causing several ripples in the wall but causing no visible damage. Calling forth her starbolts, she launches a stream of them at the forcefield, the shield growing brighter and brighter as it struggles to compensate for the power of the Tamaranian. Finally, with a high pitched whine the shield collapses. Unfortunately it blows up quite spectacularly as well, tossing the young girl into the air and slamming her into a lamp post.

Struggling to her feet, she feels a pair of strong hands lift her up. Turning to see her benefactor, she is surprised to see Raziel more or less unharmed, unless of course she counted the multiple cuts and tears he was currently sporting on his costume.

"Are you all right?" he asks as he gives the Tamaranian a once over.

"Raziel? How?" Starfire mumbles, still disoriented from the shock of the blast but more confused as to how Raziel survived the impact.

"Sorry about the costume. I know how hard you worked on it," he replies, steadying the girl as she tried to regain her senses. Raziel turns to see where Raven was only to see her blasted by Doctor Light; her body tossed into the air like a rag doll. Rage building up inside him, he gently sets down Starfire and rushes at the doctor, eyes glowing brightly with power.

Doctor Light for the most part was reveling in the pain he was causing. _'Truly this child is in awe at my powers,'_ he chuckles to himself. The blasts he had done earlier were just for plain and simple torture. He could see the numerous cuts on the girl's costume, revealing her pale skin underneath. The last attack which launched her into the air was meant to do serious damage. And now the girl cowered before him. It was time to finish the job, he thought as he prepared another blast of light.

Knees shaking from both the attack and the sudden fear that permeated her being, Raven struggled to keep conscious as she tried to get back on her feet. Her emotions were reaching a boiling point. If she didn't suppress them soon, she knew literally all hell would break loose. Hearing the footsteps behind her getting closer, she does the one thing she thought she would never do.

"Don't come any closer. _Please..._" she begs, nearly whispering the last part. She needed to get back in control soon. Already she could feel _his_ presence clawing at her mind, struggling to get out as her defenses began to weaken.

"What's the matter? Afraid of 'The Light'?" Doctor Light taunts, his ego clearly stroked by Raven's words.

Those words pushed what little control Raven had out the window as her heritage came out full force. Eyes now glowing with a blood red color, she lets out a guttural roar and turns to face her tormentor, an evil smile on her face.

Raziel stops mid-stride at the transformed figure before him. The normally petite Raven now towered over the doctor, her cloak billowing with black tendrils creeping out from within its dark folds.

"Raven...?" he calls out, trying to ignore the danger signals his senses were screaming at him. He stares in horror and morbid fascination as the tendrils shoot out and grab the helpless doctor, tearing off the electronics which had made him such a menace.

"No! My suit!" the now powerless Doctor Light yells. Glaring in anger at the audacity of the teenager who damaged his prized invention, his anger suddenly turns to fear as the tendrils continued to pull him into the darkness within her cloak.

"What's the matter? Afraid of the dark?" Raven sneers, her voice distorted and . _'Yes! Make him hurt! Make him pay! The human will suffer for daring to attack me!'_ she snarls in her mind, reveling in the pitiful screams for mercy the little man was making.

"_No! Stop it!" _she screams at herself. If one were to look in the plane of Raven's mind, one would see two figures locked in a titanic battle. If it weren't for the fact one of them had four glowing red eyes, it would look like Raven had a twin.

"_Weakling. I am simply finishing what you wouldn't start. Do you really think you could have stopped Doctor Light on your own? Or were you _relying_ on your _precious_ Raziel to do it?"'_ the other Raven sneers, firing off a dark bolt of power which Raven barely avoids. _"If I hadn't interfered, _'HE'_ would have been released."_

"_Raziel has nothing to do with this," _she replies monotonously, launching her own dark blasts at her 'doppelganger'. _"You don't belong here."_

With a wave of her hand, a black wall of energy blocks the attack, dissipating it into nothingness. _"Raven, Raven. You, of all people, should know where I belong no matter how much as you deny it."_ 'Raven' suddenly looks off to the side as if hearing something in the distance. _"It seems Raziel is even more altruistic than I had thought."_ Raising her hand, a portal opens beside her revealing the 'outside world.'

Raven's eyes widen at the sight before her, collapsing to her knees in shock. _"No,"_ she whispers.

Outside, Raziel had grabbed the doctor's hand and was trying to pull him free of the tendrils. They were, however, much stronger than even he had anticipated; his efforts having little effect as they sensed his presence and started to wrap around him as well.

"Please! Help me!" Doctor Light pleads, the once smug demeanor gone from his face.

'_Sniveling little man,'_ Raziel snorts in disgust. He wasn't feeling particularly generous towards Doctor Light after being blasted through a wall but even he didn't hate him enough to let him be absorbed into Raven's cloak. He had contemplated using the Reaver to cut the tendrils but since he had no idea how they would affect Raven (or himself for that matter), he resorted to using brute force instead. Even his strength proved no match for whatever power Raven wielded now.

"_Looks like Raziel is losing. Why he chooses to save this arrogant human is beyond me,"_ 'Raven' shrugs nonchalantly before breaking out in a sad smile. _"But I suppose this for the best. Even if we wished to, we cannot stop what has begun."_

"_Says you,"_ Raven retorts before closing her eyes in meditation.

"Raven! Wake up!" Raziel shouts, his body nearly completely swallowed by the darkness. Doctor Light's head and the arm Raziel held were the only things still visible, complete and utter fear etched on the doctor's face.

Starfire, having finally gotten over the concussion from earlier she now rushed to help fight the Doctor. Her righteous anger faded instantly as she saw Raziel being absorbed by Raven. "Raziel! Give me your hand!" she calls out, her eyes glowing brightly as she flies towards him.

"NO! Stay back!" Raziel shouts, causing the Tamaranian to stop in mid-flight. "Just keep everyone away!" he orders, his voice fading away as he was consumed by Raven's cloak.

When Raziel vanished into the darkness, Starfire collapsed on her knees, her mind in shock at what just happened. Righteous anger bursting forth once more, she glares at the one who had consumed her friend; her Tamaranian blood calling for vengeance(1). Raising her glowing fists at the target, she stops as Raven begins to double over in pain. Her anger momentarily forgotten, she takes a tentative step towards the goth girl, concern now etched on her face. "Raven?"

"Azarath..." Raven whispers, pain evident in her voice but one could clearly hear the defiance present. "Metrion..." Her eyes no longer blood red, they begin to glow once more with their familiar white light. Raising her head to complete the chant, she screams with all her might as an ethereal blade bursts forth from the folds of her cloak. "ZINTHOS!"

Starfire watches in horror and fascination as the blade continues to slice downward through the darkness, a glowing portal forming in its wake. At the base of the blade was a familiar gloved hand which on impulse she grabs right away and it and pulls with all her might. To her surprise and relief, the owner of the hand was none other than Raziel. Pulling him out of the void, she is equally surprised to see that Raziel still had Doctor Light grasped firmly in his other hand. Pulling the two to safety, she quickly turns her attention to Raziel who was currently breathing heavily, his eyes having lost their usual glow.

As soon as the two bodies cleared her cloak, Raven returned to her normal stature, her body collapsing in a heap on the pavement.

'_You fool! You've doomed us all,'_ 'Raven' screams before being banished back into the deepest recesses of her mind.

Sighing in relief, Raven turns to see the results of her efforts and what she sees makes her blood run cold. Curled up on the street was Doctor Light, his suit now a useless piece of slag attached to his body, mumbling incoherently about the 'darkness' and shivering violently. Raziel looked no better, his skin even more pale than usual as he drew ragged breaths. It also happened to be the exact same moment that Robin had finally made his way back to the scene after Doctor Light had tossed him to the roof of one of the nearby buildings.

"What happened?" Robin calls out to the team as he rushes towards the incapacitated doctor.

"Make it stop! Make it stop!" the doctor screams as his eyes dart around, looking for some invisible attacker

Unable to get a coherent answer from Doctor Light, Robin turns towards Starfire hoping for some idea as to how Doctor Light went from supervillain to basket case.

Starfire opens her mouth to answer but a weak squeeze on her hand causes her to stop. Glancing to Raziel who shakes his head ever so slightly, she nods in understanding as she faces Robin again. "I am sorry Robin. Doctor Light had trapped me in his device and when I tried to break free, it exploded up and knocked me out. I just recently awakened and found Raziel injured."

The unspoken communication between the two did not go unnoticed by Raven who felt a twinge of jealousy. '_Starfire never had any problems getting along with people,'_ she muses sadly. But as much as she wished, she could never get angry at the Tamaranian. Starfire was just...Starfire. Finally recovering enough strength to get up, she hears Beastboy talking animatedly to Robin about what he had 'seen,' worry now apparent on her face. To the side, Raziel could only glare weakly at the green teen, his body too tired to try to signal Beastboy to stop.

"So I was blind, see? So I could only hear stuff that weird dude was saying. And then he went 'Afraid of the dark?' and then Raven went 'ROAR' and then Doctor Light went 'AAIIIEEEE!' and then..."

"Beastboy, you're not making any sense!" Robin sighs in exasperation. Whatever _had_ happened, it had something to do with Raven. Looking at the goth girl didn't explain much; her frightened expression was there as usual... _'Wait. Raven's afraid? Since when does Raven ever show emotion?'_ he wonders. Before he could ask Raven about it she walks off into the shadows without a word, leaving him and the rest of the Titans to wrap up the night's events. "Well, let's call the police and have them haul Doctor Light away," he says out loud, mentally reminding himself to tell the police about the doctor's new 'condition.'

"Uhh, guys? A little help here!" Cyborg yells, still trapped in the hardened slag. "Man. I didn't get to see anything!"

T-T-T

"Raziel, are you sure you would not like some glorbak pudding (2)? It is what we eat to help us heal after battle," Starfire offers as she holds a spoonful of some yellow gelatinous goo, much to Robin's chagrin and amusement. After all, he should be the one Starfire was feeding, but even he wasn't stupid enough to try the pudding a second time.

"Starfire, I am FINE," he replies, trying to back away from the pudding which looked like it wanted to crawl out of the spoon. When he arrived back at the tower last night, he looked so much like death warmed over that Starfire had insisted on carrying him to his room much to his embarrassment (and to the enjoyment of Beastboy and Cyborg). A good night's sleep done little for him, his body still feeling weak from whatever occurred within Raven's cloak. However, Starfire could not get the image of last night's events out of her head and continued to dote on him. "Has anyone seen Raven?" he asks, trying to shift the Tamaranian's attention away from himself.

"I haven't (munch) seen her since (scarf) she last night (chomp)," Cyborg blurts between bites before stopping suddenly mid-chew. Spitting out the food like it was the plague, he turns an angry glare at the cook. "HEY! BB, that wasn't eggs!"

Giving Cyborg an face which said 'No duh!', Beastboy turns back to his cooking when the hall doors open revealing a thoroughly haggard Raven. "Hey! Speak of the devil," he jokes causing a rare snicker among the team except for Raziel who, while still in a daze, was intently staring at the goth girl.

Raven flinched slightly at the expression, hitting closer to home than she dared let anyone know. Walking towards the cupboard, she pulls out the teapot and her usual blend of tea hoping it would calm her mind at least for a little while.

"Hey, Rae! Want some breakfast?" Beastboy chirps, bringing a plate of his tofu eggs and waving it in front of her face. "They're full of soy beanie goodness."

"Herbal tea," she replies, effectively ending the conversation.

"C'mon, you could use some after last night."

'_Or not,'_ she thinks to herself, as Beastboy continues to push his meal which did nothing to improve her mood. Ignoring the changeling in the hopes of discouraging him, her patience was starting to wear thin as Mr. Dense continued his spiel.

"I mean, I couldn't see a thing but I could sure hear the way you trashed Doctor Light! I mean, he was crying like a..."

"I said NO!" she snarls, her eyes glowing bright with power.

Starfire visibly tenses up as the plate Beastboy was holding explodes with a loud splorch, covering the green shapeshifter with the imitation eggs.

Before any of the Titans could react, she walks out of the room, not bothering to give any explanation for her sudden outburst. She could already feel all eyes on her and that alone made her feel more isolated than ever.

As the doors close behind the amethyst-haired teen, Beastboy wipes off the remains of his breakfast as he grumbles about girls and their mood swings. "Raz, I don't know HOW you can put up with her! I know you hang around her more than any of us do, but dude! How can you even trust her with the way she acts?"When no reply is given, he whirls around to rant some more but stops as something becomes very apparent.

"Guys? Where did Raz go?"

T-T-T

'_I don't feel so well,'_ Raziel moans to himself as the room starts spinning. As he stands up to try head back to his room, he sees the Titans fade from view, the world around him distorting into a twisted facsimile of reality. "What in Nosgosth?" he blurts out, the weakness he was feeling steadily fading away.

Looking around what was once the Titan's lounge room, he raises his eyebrow in curiosity and mild shock at the scene before him. Everything, while in their 'proper' place, had now taken on a vastly different appearance. The couch was now several feet tall and was close to hitting the ceiling; the TV, once a regular rectangular shape now twisted in a weird spiral. To top it all off, everything had an eerily green tinge to it which made the experience all the more surreal.

"Hello? Anyone here?" he yells out, somehow knowing that no one would respond to his calls. What he did notice however was that each passing moment here seemed to restore his vitality. _'This is just like that flashback I had the other day,'_ Raziel thinks to himself. Deciding to test a theory, he calls forth his Reaver and is relieved when it bursts forth from his hand, albeit glowing a somewhat different hue. "At least YOU'RE still the same," he says to the wraith blade. "Great. Not two minutes in this 'place' and I'm already talking to a sword."

Taking a few moments to regain his composure, the goth teen starts to explore the transformed surroundings, looking for any sign of what might have happened or for a way back to his home. _'Home. Since when have I thought of the Titans Tower as home?' _he muses. Seeing that there was nothing worthwhile to be gained staying in the room, he heads to the doors only to find that while they were now partially ajar (3) they were still too small to let him fit through. "Let's get you open then," he says to no one in particular as he places a hand on each side of the doors.

With a supreme amount of effort, he forces the doors open with an audible grunt; or would have had the doors actually moved. Raising an eyebrow in puzzlement, Raziel tries once more to open the sliding doors to no avail; the doors remaining in the same position they were in earlier. "No door's can hold me," he growls. Raising the Reaver and slashing at the doors, he is surprised to see that the doors remained untouched from the assault. Glaring at the door and willing it to open, his shoulders slump as he gives up and tries to think of another way to get out.

"I hate you, you know," he growls at the door.

T-T-T

"Shouldn't we go look for Raz? I mean, he was feeling kinda sick, right?" Beastboy says as Cyborg continues to push him towards what he considered would be his doom.

"Raz can wait. YOU have to apologize to Raven. After last night you should have known better than to bring that up," the cybernetic teen counters. As they reach Raven's room, he nudges the green teen to forward who hesitantly gives the door a tiny rap.

"Ok. No one's home," he grins and tries to back away but feels a pair of huge hands grab his shoulders.

"Uh uh, you're going in there now." Raising his metal fist at the door, he gives a couple of hard knocks which inadvertently knocks down the door as well. "Uhhh...oops? Rae? Sorry 'bout the door."

"Looks like we both have to apologize." Slowly creeping his way in, Beastboy's eyes widen at the sheer amount of goth that seemed to permeate the room.

"Hey! What're you doin', B? This is Raven's room! We're not supposed to BE IN RAVEN'S ROOM! No one is! Ever!" Cyborg whispers, sticking his head in tentatively as if something or someone were lurking in the darkness.

"C'mon. You said I don't really know enough about her to judge her, so what better way to find out than through her room?" Beastboy replies. "Hmm. You think Raz has been in here?"

Cyborg gives Beastboy and incredulous stare. The thought of Raven bringing a boy into her room wasn't too far off. But then again, whoever did get in would probably appear in the obituaries the following day whether they tried anything or not. "As much as the two seem to be alike, I think she tolerates him more than actually liking him," he answers before shaking his head in frustration "Hey, stop changing the subject! We should go. Now!" Tiptoeing into the room, he reaches for Beastboy to drag him out lest the owner of the room were to suddenly arrive.

However, with it being Raven's room AND the fact Beastboy was in it, Murphy's law had decided to have a field day and let loose.

"Hey Cy, who would've guessed goth girl was so vain?" Beastboy jokes, picking up what appeared to be a small vanity mirror.

T-T-T

Figuring out the Reaver had no effect whatsoever on material objects 'wherever' he was, Raziel had taken to pushing the doors, hoping maybe this time they would actually open. With no visible effect, his thoughts strangely turn to a certain goth girl. _'Raven's power would prove useful right about now,' _he thinks mirthlessly, remembering how she had pulled Jinx through the ceiling that time she and the H.I.V.E. had attacked the tower. It was then that his hand started to pass through the door ever so slowly, causing Raziel to pull it back in shock. Staring at his hand as if it was the first time for him to see it, he gives a tentative push on the door but gets nothing, the door as solid as he remembered it.

'_Was it just my imagination?'_ he wonders as he tries to recall what just happened _'All I was doing was pushing it and thinking about...'_ Raziel stops mid-thought as something in his head starts to click. Pushing again on the door, he tries 'willing' himself to pass through. At first nothing seems to happen but after a few moments his body begins to phase through the door. Continuing to concentrate on the act, he finally makes it to the other side in one piece, staring at his body and checking to see that his little stunt didn't have any adverse effects.

"Well, at least _now_ I know Raven's not the only one who can walk through walls."

Satisfied that everything was in order, he resumes his exploration of the tower but stops in mid-stride as the rest of the tower appeared as twisted and convoluted as the rec room he had left. _'This is just not my day,'_ he groans to himself. Making his way through the halls, his senses suddenly shout out in warning as a huge power source makes its presence known from somewhere within the tower. Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, Raziel rushes to find its source; at least it was a sign that _something_ was present in this twisted version of reality.

Arriving at where the power emanated, he is surprised to find it a (for lack of a better term) 'creepy' room. Candles burned an eerie green glow, the same greenish hue which seemed to permeate this 'world.' A huge bookcase lay off to the side, apparently very well stocked as even though its appearance was twisted, the number of books could not be ignored. What caught his attention was a dark swirling portal which seemed to beckon him with an almost hypnotic siren call.

"Portals! Why is it always portals!" he shouts to the heavens, his experience in Mumbo Jumbo's hat still fresh in his mind. Sighing in defeat, he jumps head first into the portal wondering why he was the only one who had these problems.

T-T-T

"AHHHH! Get 'em off me!" Beastboy yells as he dodges another black bird from taking another peck at him.

"I told you we had to leave but nooooo, you had to go pop a few zits in her magic mirror! Pfft. Beast master, friend to all animals, my metal behind!" Cyborg rants, dodging another dive by the creatures. Activating his trademark weapon, he grins maniacally while shouting back at the birds. "You want a piece of Cy? Well come get some!" Firing madly at the attacking flock, Cyborg's shots succeed in scaring off the birds, the sonic canon proving once again that no one messes with the 'C-man.' Unfortunately, firing blindly also meant collateral damage which didn't bode well for the two teens. As the rock bridge they were standing on starts to crumble, only one thought passes through their head.

"Uh oh."

T-T-T

Expecting to fall in some death laden trap, the jaws of some giant creature, or even a different time period, the last thing he expected was to slam into a huge wooden bookshelf. The impact caused several heavy volumes to fall out of the shelf, burying Raziel in a pile of books. Groaning in pain, he struggles to climb out of the heap when a familiar monotone voice pipes up.

"I'll thank you not to make a mess of my library."

Recognizing the voice, he immediately powers his way out from the books and turns to face her. "I assume you have an explanation for all of this, Ra...ven?" Looking at the owner of the voice nearly caused him to miss a beat. The voice was the same, the body was the same, the same soulful eyes; it all indicated the same person. The only thing different was the spectacles on her face and the bright yellow cloak she wore.

"That's my name. Don't wear it out," she drones sarcastically as she starts to pick up the heavy volumes strew on the floor, black energy lifting them back into their proper place.

Blinking twice to make sure he wasn't dreaming, he looks around the area and is somewhat surprised at the scene. While everything no longer looked like the twisted scene he had just left, it still wasn't home. All around him were volumes upon volumes of books in what appeared to be a huge, albeit old, library. _'I don't recall a library like this in the tower,_' Raziel thinks to himself. Picking up one of the books he had inaverdently knocked down, black energy wraps around it before he could even open the cover, the book flying directly into Raven's hands.

"I like my personal space, Raziel, and right now you came dangerously close to violating it," she comments, placing the book back on the shelf.

"I don't quite understand," Raziel responds, somewhat confused at Raven's statement. "Where _am_ I, exactly?"

"You're in my mind, of course, and these books are my memories," Raven states, not missing a beat as she continues to rearrange the books. "Or rather, 'her' mind, and 'her' memories. I'd ask how you got in here, but I'm quite sure you entered via the mirror," she adds. _'Like two certain idiots,' _she muses silently. Noticing Raziel's confused expression, she proceeds to explain about the mirror in her room and its use; one more person knowing about it wouldn't matter much anyway and Raziel _did_ appear to be of a more cautious sort than a certain changeling and would probably heed her warnings.

"That's all fine and well, but I don't recall seeing any mirror," Raziel retorts, staring intently at 'Raven' who looked thoroughly curious at his statement. "Wait. You said 'her' mind. If I'm inside Raven, then who _are_ you then?"? he asks, hand twitching slightly in case of any sudden attack.

"Like I said, I'm Raven," she answers with an exasperated tone, something Raziel had never heard from her. "Or to be precise, an aspect of her." Before Raziel could ask, she raises a hand to interrupt the teen's question, knowing what the next question would be. "Every person has different aspects of themselves which make up the whole. I represent her intellectual side, the one who weighs things logically and gives answers based on facts."

"So this place is...?"

"My domain; my little chunk of real estate where I exist." Placing the last book in its place, she adjusts her glasses before finally turning to face her visitor. "And you are currently an uninvited guest."

Raziel nods in understanding; he knew the feeling of uninvited presences was somewhat irritating. Before he could inquire more about the place, Raven simply stares points off to her right.

"Head in that direction if to get out. You'll find an arch that takes you through another piece of the world known as Nevermore. Just continue going straight and be sure to avoid 'her.' I don't think Raven would appreciate you two meeting quite yet."

His eyes following the direction Raven pointed to, her last statement makes him stop and think about what she meant. However, turning to where she stood, the goth teen found that the girl had already vanished in typical Raven fashion. _'I wonder what she meant by avoiding 'her'?'_ Thinking it was probably just another one of her facets, he rushes off in the direction she pointed to, eager to at least return to reality. It still didn't explain the 'other' realm where he was before entering Raven's mind but as before it gave him an odd sense of deja vu.

It wasn't before long that he passed through the huge arch Raven had described; a rather obvious indication was the sudden change in scenery. Instead of the huge library, he suddenly found himself in what appeared to be a dungeon corridor, a strange sense of nostalgia washing over him. Shaking his head lest he forget her directions, he continues onward, passing several dungeon cells which look like they hadn't been used in ages. _'How long _IS_ this corridor?'_ he thinks to himself. Nearing the end of the corridor after what seemed to be an eternity, he notices a huge chamber off to the side, a few torches struggling to dispel the darkness within.

Peering inside revealed nothing, the cloak of darkness simply too thick for the tiny flames the torches held. _'Curiosity had always killed the cat,'_ Raziel thought. Thankful he wasn't of feline descent, he calls forth his ethereal blade, allowing its light to shine into the chamber. The light adding to the torches' weak flickering, he slowly makes his way inside, intent on finding out why the chamber seemed so interesting to him. What he finds inside would have chilled a lesser man to the core.

Hanging from several chains which seemed to just fade into the darkness was Raven, or as he assumed, another aspect of her. The chains around her wrists, which cut into her soft skin, seemed to be the only thing holding up the pale teen, small drops of red falling every so often from the links. The black tatters that was once her cloak hung around her neck, barely hiding her figure like it normally would. What lay beneath the cloak was something Raziel would not wish on anyone (at least anyone he knew). Numerous cuts covered her body, blood flowing freely from each wound. No where on her could he find a spot unblemished; even her face which he always found enchanting sported scars which looked like they had been there for some time.

'_It looks like she's been beaten half to death over and over!'_ Raziel thinks emotionlessly. He couldn't imagine what aspect of Raven this was that would warrant such an appearance. Part of him wanted to ignore it as it was really not his business to interfere with Raven but another part felt nothing but indignation at the scene. Pushing down the conflicting emotions, he brings the Reaver to full force, the chains proving no match for the power of his weapon.

Collapsing bonelessly in his arms, Raziel cradles Raven gently, trying not to aggravate her painfully obvious injuries. Seeing as she wasn't exactly waking up any time soon, he decides to at least take her out of this dungeon. _'Maybe she could give me some answers about this place?'_

Crossing the arch, he feels the familiar sensation of change as the dungeon starts to vanish, the scenery being replaced with a barren wasteland. More precisely, a vast emptiness littered with dozens if not hundreds of floating rocks each easily dwarfing the 'T' tower's own little island. Looking at the girl in his arms, at he gives an internal sigh of relief as she seemed to be breathing easier now; thankful he wasn't affected by the amount of blood that now stained his clothes. Laying her down on the ground, he takes off his scarf and starts tearing it into strips, hoping Starfire wouldn't mind what he was doing.

T-T-T

"ACHOO!" Starfire looks around curiously as she stops mid-stride towards Robin. _'Am I getting an Earth cold,'_ she wonders. Dismissing the sneeze as something related to dust, she creeps up to Robin who was currently flipping through several channels mindlessly. "Robin? I am worried about Raziel and Raven. I cannot find him anywhere in the tower and Raven was acting, how do you say, 'just plain freaky,' correct?"

"I'm pretty sure they're both fine," Robin replies, not bothering to turn from his channel surfing. The day had been pretty slow since the arrest of Dr. Light and while thankful for even the little reprieve, he still was bored out of his skull. He was a bit peeved about the way that Starfire was worried about Raziel but put it down to her simply being, well, herself. As for Raven, if she wanted to be left alone he would respect her wishes.

"If you say so," she answers hesitantly, shuffling back to her room. "Are you sure we shouldn't..."

"Later."

T-T-T

Bandaging as much of her wounds as he could, Raziel smiles at his handiwork. It was crude, but it would suffice. _'Why I even bothered to patch someone who isn't real I'll never understand,'_ he muses silently.

"What are you doing?" growls an angry voice.

The hairs at the back of his neck stand on end as the same presence he felt the other night suddenly makes itself known. Whirling around to face it, he crouches in a defensive stance, trying to guard the prone body behind him. His stance relaxes as he recognizes the figure before him as yet another of Raven's aspects. The one thing that shocked him most was not her blood red cloak but the four glowing red eyes which stared back at him with unrestrained anger. "Raven," he speaks guardedly.

"Raziel," she growls back "You should not be here."

"You and every other personality here apparently agree on the same thing, even if you all have different tastes in decor" he drawls.

Raven grits her teeth as if in pain, her nails digging into her palms and drawing blood. "You don't understand. No one does." Grabbing Raziel by the neck, she easily lifts him off his feet. "Go. Now." She tries to toss him over the edge of the island but a glowing sword in front of her suddenly gives her pause.

"I don't like being ordered and I dislike being coerced even more," Raziel counters uncharacteristically cold, his eyes glowing as bright as Raven's. "You may be Raven, but that will not save you if you do not release me." At first the staredown seemed to be at an impasse, neither side flinching one bit. Then all of a sudden, Raven releases him, an evil smirk on her face.

"You have no idea what I am, do you? Who you are dealing with?"

"You are Raven. Nothing more, nothing less," he growls, the Soul Reaver still glowing brightly.

Still unflinching, she levitates the prone black-cloaked Raven towards Raziel, the goth teen's weapon dissipating as he catches the limp girl. "Your way out is towards there," she points towards a huge glowing portal several kilometers off. "Just be sure to leave 'her' here," she adds, gesturing at Raziel's cargo. "It wouldn't do for Raven to lose a part of herself."

"And how exactly do I get from here to there?" As if to answer his question, several smaller rock platforms float up, forming a chain of stone towards his destination. However, each one was still several meters away from each other; only an Olympic athlete even had a chance of making the distance. A chill runs up his spine as she grins evilly while answering his question.

"You jump, of course." Giving the teen a telekinetic push, she launches him in the air towards the first platform, Raziel barely hanging on to his passenger as he lands unceremoniously on his rear. She smirks as the boy gives her a glare that would make herself proud.

Giving a slight nod while trying not to show the pain his rear currently was complaining about, he turns around and runs towards the next platform, jumping the gap without much effort.

'_You have to leave before it's too late,'_ Raven says silently as she watches Raziel's retreating figure. "Now," she says out loud as she whirls around to face an unseen foe, dark energy gathering in her hands. "Where were we?" Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to hide the fear that gripped her heart as a deep guttural voice growled in her head, the last thing she heard as she loses consciousness.

"(**rAge wiLl COnSume YOU!**)"

T-T-T

"Happy. Timid. Brave," Cyborg names as he points at the differently colored 'Ravens' before him. "We're not on her home. We're in her head!"

"And I want you out!" comes the familiar monotone voice. Landing in front of her emotions, Raven glares at the two invaders to her private domain, her 'parts' vanishing behind the original.

"Uhh...hi Rae?" Beastboy squeaks tentatively, hiding behind the metallic Titan and trying to avoid the goth girl's angry stare.

"That mirror you found was a gateway into my _Mind_, not a _TOY_!" she snarls. Silently enjoying watching Beastboy cringe, a sudden chill runs down her spine breaking her mood. "Listen, you have to go now."

"Why, Rae? What's going on?" Cyborg asks, subtly scanning the area with his eye.

"You know what happened to Doctor Light? Think a hundred times worse if you stay."

"Aw, no! You're not pulling that mystery girl act on me. I wanna know what it is you're up to," Beastboy rants. Before he could add to his tirade, the ground begins to shake violently. It stops just as suddenly then starts to shake again, a clear pattern in the tremors. Slowly turning his head around, he gulps as he sees the source of the tremors; a red giant with four glowing eyes was fast approaching them, each footstep shaking the very ground they stood on.

"**(HaTrEd sHaLL RULE!)**" roars the giant as it turns its attention to the three insects before it.

Raven slowly backs away as she tries to move her friends into the portal behind her. "Let's just say I have issues with my father."

T-T-T

A loud explosion shakes the whole area as Raziel neared the portal, the shockwave nearly knocking him off his feet. Sensing a powerful presence just over the hill, he cautiously takes a peak and is shocked at the sight; below was Raven (the true Raven, he surmised from the familiar blue cloak) flying around a red skinned giant. So far, the giant was unable to land a blow on her but he could feel the waves of evil just wash off the demon. Deciding that his passenger would be safe this far from the battle, he sets her down and turns to join the fight. Before he could even move a foot, 'Raven' suddenly reaches out and grabs his arm, halting his movement.

"Raziel, you have to get away," she croaks, her voice hoarse from disuse. She struggles to get up, pain wracking her body with each movement which causes Raziel to gently push her down. "This is not your fight."

"You're in no condition to tell me what to do, much less fight," he chides.

"You don't understand. This has been my fate since I was born. You can't do anything about it," she retorts weakly, her breathing growing haggard once more.

For a moment, Raziel looked like he was contemplating her words but Raven's scream in the distance shakes him out of his reverie. The sudden change in Raziel's demeanor is apparent as his eyes narrow, ethereal energy radiating from them like a spotlight in the dark. Gently removing this Raven's hand from his arm, he turns towards the battle, the Soul Reaver bursting forth from his right arm. "If there's one thing I dislike more than anything," he begins, his voice suddenly cold and calculating, "is fate and destiny."

T-T-T

Cyborg runs up the cliff, hoping to get a better shot at the giant Raven was fighting. Whatever it was it was shrugging off her attacks like nothing, and that worried him. He had seen Raven fight before and knew that she was capable of doing massive damage if she wanted to. Something that could take on her attacks without so much as a scratch was something that he had to be worried about. His worry about the giant turns to worry about his friend as Raven receives one of the giant's blasts point blank, her smoking body caught in its humongous fist.

Raising his sonic cannon at the giant, he charges up a shot to try to free her when a scream of rage from behind catches his attention. Turning around, he is surprised to see Raziel leaping in the air, his eyes promising pain at his target.

Landing on the giant's arm, his two eyes glare back at the giant's four, uttering three simple words of defiance.

"Let her go."

With that, he plunges the blade into the creature's hand, causing it to roar in shock more than pain as it releases its hold on Raven. As she falls to the ground, Raziel dives after her and wraps his arms around her limp form, hoping to absorb the impact with his own body. However, a pair of talons grab his shoulders and stops him from making a huge impression on the ground. Glancing up, he sees Beastboy in Pterodactyl form, a curious expression on its face if it was possible.

Transforming back into a human form as they land, he looks incredulously at Raziel as the teen gently sets down Raven. "Dude? How'd you get here?"

"That's what I should be asking you," he replies emotionlessly, his attention still on the unconscious girl. "Raven?"

Slowly opening her eyes, Raven is just as surprised to see Raziel in Nevermore. Her first thought was to chastise him for entering her room and slap him in the face but what stopped her was the fact that she actually _was_ seeing his face. "Raziel? Your cloak?"

"Let's just say it's with a mutual acquaintance," he responds cryptically, glancing briefly to the mountain as he spots the black-cloaked figure peak out from where he left her. Before Raven could ask for an explanation, he jumps back into the air towards the giant as it refocused its attention on him. Unfortunately the demon was much faster than his appearance betrayed, snatching the teen out of the air with its massive claw.

"Raz!" Cyborg powers up his sonic cannon to try to distract the demon but four beams of energy lance out from its face, causing a large explosion which knocks him and the other Titans several meters away. Compounded with several dozen crows which seemed to materialize out of nowhere, they could barely defend themselves much less help Raziel.

With the minor annoyances gone, the demon finally turns his attention to the one who had actually managed to hurt him. "**(You aRe RaziEl, aren't you?)**" the giant says, more a statement than an actual question. "**(I hAve seEn you in mY dauGhter's memOries. iT is gOOd to finAlly meEt faCe to fAce.)**"

"I can assure you the feeling isn't mutual," Raziel counters, struggling to power himself out of the vice-like grip the demon had on him. "Well? What are you waiting for?" he taunts. When nothing happens, he is surprised to see the giant's eyes widen slightly as they continued to stare at him.

"**(InTriguing. I hAd ThouGht yOur kiNd had Died miLLeniA ago,)**" his voice rumbles, quite intrigued that the small figure before him remained unflinching. "**(Tell mE RaZiel, dO yOu stilL woRship 'him'?)**"

"I worship no one," Raziel retorts, his eyes still glowing with defiance as he finally gets his sword arm free. Unleashing the Soul Reaver, he plunges it again into the giant's hand, hoping the pain would give him the opportunity needed to break free. However, the giant barely flinches as its grip tightens around him, causing him to grunt in pain. Expecting to be crushed like a pea, he is surprised when the giant's eyes glaze over briefly, a flicker of red in its normally yellow eyes.

"**(You have no idea what I am, do you? Who you are dealing with?)**" the giant growls, the voice somehow different from before.

Raziel's eyes widen as a familiar presence makes itself known. It was faint but there was that one faint spark that seemed to cry out from behind the giant's eyes before returning to their yellow hue.

"**(bEgone, worM!)**" With that the demon tosses Raziel like a toy doll, his body landing violently in the distance just as the rest of the Titans finally defeated the spectral avians and charged at their aggressor. Seeing the tiny humans try to attack him once more, he gives a sneer as power starts to gather in his eyes.

T-T-T

"Raziel?"

Hearing a weak voice calling out, he struggles to open his eyes as the landing left a lot to be desired. Upon opening them he sees a concerned (black-cloaked) Raven hovering over him, her hands on top of his body as she struggled to heal the injuries he sustained. Feeling his strength return, he immediately gets up before she over exerted herself in the effort. "Who, or what was that?" he asks as he shook the cobwebs from his head.

"That was my father, Trigon," she replies hesitantly. "I...can't say any more. 'She' has to be the one to tell you, not me."

"Then you won't mind if I smack him around a bit, will you?" he deadpans, getting back to his feet.

"You can't beat him, you know." speaks a third voice.

Turning his head, he sees the yellow-cloaked Raven standing beside the other Raven, her arms crossed across her chest. "If you are Raven, then you know that what you said won't really stop me," he replies, the Soul Reaver once again bursting forth from his right arm.

"There's no talking you out of this, is there?" the yellow Raven sighs in resignation. "Judging from your reaction earlier you know who it is you're fighting, right?"

"It's her, isn't it? The one I met earlier?" Raziel scowls when Raven simply nods in the affirmative. "But she," he adds, pointing to the black-cloaked Raven, "said that was your father."

"It's not that simple. She's the strongest one among us, which is why Trigon took over her body in the first place. With her out of the way, it was simply a matter of taking over Nevermore one piece at a time. And before you say anything, Trigon himself is no laughing matter. He's amplified her beyond what any of us are capable of. Well, none of us except..." she trails off, her eyes gazing downward.

"Except what?" Raziel asks. Following her gaze, he looks at the black-cloaked Raven who was currently breathing heavily from her earlier exertions. "You've got to be kidding me," he deadpans.

"She is the only one with the kind of firepower we need to separate them (6), but as you can see she's not exactly in the best condition to fight." _'Not after what happened,'_ she adds silently. Being the 'brains' of the group was certainly no picnic as she remembered every single event which happened to them.

The group is silent for a few moments, not quite sure how to proceed after that little revelation. "But all you need is to get her power close enough, right?" Raziel finally states as he stares at the yellow cloaked Raven, his Soul Reaver manifesting itself once more.

"Yes, but she's in no condition to..." she pauses as her eyes widen in understanding at Raziel's suggestion.

"Raven?" Raziel holds out his hand towards the lethargic girl, her expression one of hesitation and fear as she realizes what Raziel was suggesting.

She looks into his eyes as if searching for something, an almost pleading look in her own. Seeing Raziel raise an eyebrow in curiosity, Raven finally gives a small smile as she apparently found what she was looking for and places her hand in his. "Please help her," she says. What followed was something Raziel would not forget anytime soon.

The instant their hands touched, a surge of power came flowing from her petite form; black tendrils of energy traveling along the connection. The power coursed from her directly into the wraith blade, in effect forging it with the same dark power that flowed through Raven.

The Soul Reaver, as Raziel had begun to call it, now glowed an eerily black color. Giving a few tentative swings, he gives a smile of appreciation at the sheer power the girl possessed. His smile disappears as he notices Raven starting to fade away, her body becoming more and more transparent. To his dismay, even the other Raven started was beginning to fade.

"Don't worry," (yellow-cloaked) Raven answers, her face an emotionless mask. "'She' is calling us."

As the two disappear, Raziel suddenly feels a powerful force from where Trigon was. Whirling around to face it, he is more than surprised to see a giant white-cloaked Raven now towering in the distance, impassively staring down the red-skinned demon.

T-T-T

"You are going back where you belong," Raven states, hoping that her combined selves had enough power to seal away her father. Raziel was taken out of the fight quicker than she could imagine and he had already proven himself to be a powerful addition to the Titans. Cyborg and Beastboy tried their best to draw fire away from her, buying her the time needed to essentially reabsorb all her emotional aspects. The effect was that she felt her power jump in leaps and bounds.

Gathering all her power in a desperation strike, she unleashes it in a torrent of black energy only to be met by her father's own power blast. As the two collided, a shockwave is felt throughout the whole Nevermore, knocking Cyborg and Beastboy off their feet as they watched in awe at the power struggle.

"Cy, remind me never to get Raven mad at me," the green teen squeaks, intimidated by the now towering Raven before him as he fought off the four-eyed crows of Nevermore.

"You don't have to tell me twice," he responds meekly. Watching the battle, at first it seemed that Raven had the advantage, the giant being slowly pushed back by her power. As the battle dragged, the crows they were fighting suddenly became insubstantial, their forms flowing into Trigon which seemed to make the demon stronger.

"C'mon, Raven! You can do it!" Beastboy cheers.

If they could hear Raven's thoughts, they would have been seriously worried. _'I can't keep this up. He's too powerful,'_ Raven wanted to cry out. The only thing stopping her was the fact that if she lost now, then everyone would be doomed as well. She didn't care what happened to herself; she was long past that point but living with the Titans had given her some semblance of a life and that was the only thing pushing her on.

Still, it appeared it wasn't enough as Trigon's beam inched closer towards her. A new power source in the area catches her attention though, even as she struggled to keep the demon at bay. Glancing to Trigon's right, she saw Raziel standing behind her father, his right arm pointed straight at the giant's back. Her eyes widened as she saw what was in his hand; instead of the Reaver's familiar pale blue glow it instead was a deep black color, much like her own powers.

Also noticing the power surge, Trigon sees Raziel and releases energy from his eyes, striking the area where the teen stood.

Raven falters as she sees Raziel engulfed in the blast, nearly losing her concentration against her father. Her shock turns to surprise as a glowing black pillar (4) emerges from the smoke, on top of it stood Raziel with the Reaver poised and ready.

Silently thanking whatever deities allowed him to perform that feat, Raziel leaps off the created pillar and towards Trigon, eyes blazing with power as he flies towards his target.

Trigon sneered at the attempt, the Reaver having little effect on him the last time it was used. The sneer vanishes as he hears the words Raziel whispers.

"I release you."

As the Reaver plunged into his back, a torrent of energy tore straight into his essence, destabilizing his hold on the material plane. Already he could feel 'her' fighting back and pushing him out. "**(WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?)**" he roars as his power started to diminish.

"NOW, RAVEN!" Raziel shouts at the top of his lungs, the Reaver still deep in Trigon's back.

Shaken out of her stupor, Raven calls forth every ounce of power she still contained and released it all in one final blow, overwhelming her father's attack and engulfing him in a torrent of black energy.

As Trigon's essence started to fade away, his body dissolving with each second under Raven's power, two small figures could be seen within the blast. Raziel, with the Reaver still glowing black, had his back to the blast shielding the red-cloaked Raven from the brunt of the attack. As the attack faded, Raziel collapsed to his knees as the strain of unleashing the borrowed power and the injury he sustained to his back finally took hold.

Raven (red-cloaked) could only stare in disbelief at the goth teen as he still managed to give her a cocky smirk through his injuries. Giving her own toothy (albeit scary) grin, she transforms into pure energy which gets reabsorbed back into the giant Raven.

A bright flash of light later, the only Raven left standing was the original one, no longer giant sized like when she fought her father and wearing her traditional blue cloak. Nearly collapsing in exhaustion, she is caught by Cyborg who allows her to rest against his huge metallic body as Beastboy gives her a once-over checking for any injuries.

"I gotcha," Cyborg says.

"Thank you...friends," Raven answers, giving the two Titans a rare smile.

Smiling back and sure that Raven was ok, Cyborg finally makes his way to Raziel and helps the pale teen to his feet, grimacing at the extent of his injuries. "Man, what you did was incredibly stupid and..."

"Dude, that was sooo cool!" Beastboy interrupts. "How did you do that with that black energy and stuff?"

Cyborg gives a sigh of resignation. Once BB got into one of his spiels it was hard to get him to stop. "Let's get out of here," he says, trying to ignore the green teen as he continued to badger Raziel with dozens of questions. "Rae, you coming?"

"You go ahead. I'll be with you in a minute," she responds. "I just have to make sure the seal is back in place."

Nodding in understanding, Cyborg walks through the portal with the two in tow, leaving Raven alone once again in Nevermore. As soon as they did, several figures materialized behind Raven, each wearing a different colored cloak.

"Awww, they're going? But I didn't even get to play with Raziel!" moans one in pink as she pouted cutely, sending shivers down Raven's spine.

"Yeah, he kicked ass!" adds the green one.

Raven pinches her forehead as she could feel the start of a migraine coming on. It was always this way whenever 'the council' gathered like this.

"He took a calculated risk. Quite frankly, I am impressed and somewhat more than curious to the full extent of his abilities," one in yellow comments as she adjusts her glasses. "But still, the fact that he has powers similar to ours is somewhat disturbing."

"I like him."

Everyone goes silent as they turn to the source of the voice. Half expecting it to be the pink-cloaked Raven, Raven nearly faints as she discovers it was the red-cloaked personality that spoke up, arms crossed across her chest. Before they could ask for an explanation, she whirls around, her cape billowing as she teleports back to her 'realm' but not before she leaves a few final words.

"He's not afraid of me."

Raven could only stare in disbelief at the vanishing figure. _'What the?'_ As the rest of the discussion degenerated into what floating fruit to add into Brave's little slice of the world and to stopping Brave from kicking Happy's ass for even suggesting it, they failed to notice one other figure that wasn't among them.

Standing in the dungeon was Raven (red-cloaked) who was looking at her black-cloaked 'sister', back up in the same chains that Raziel had found her in. Giving a sigh of frustration, she pauses as she notices a few things different from the last time she was here.

Normally blood would have been dripping continuously from wounds all over her body; the chains full of barbs that cut deep into her skin. Wrapped around where her wounds would have been were several strips of red cloth, acting as bandages and surprisingly as protection against the piercing barbs.

Recognizing the origin of the cloths, she gives an internal smirk and teleports out of the domain, leaving her 'sister' alone once more. If she had bothered to look closer though, she would have noticed that a part of the black cloak was starting to change color.

T-T-T

To be continued.

T-T-T

Woohoo! At last! I finally finished the chapter.

Thanks to anyone who is still around and sorry for the delay. Hopefully I can write at a more respectable pace soon. 

Omake 1:

With the minor annoyances gone, the demon finally turns his attention to the one who had actually managed to hurt him. "**(You aRe RaziEl, aren't you?)**" the giant says, more a statement than an actual question. "**(I hAve seEn you in mY dauGhter's memOries. MaNy of thEm inVolvinG leaTher, WhippEd creAm and sOme humAn custOm abOut 'taking A chErry,')**" he rumbles questioningly.

"DAAAAAD!"

Omake 2:

The light adding to the torches weak flickering, he slowly makes his way inside, intent on finding out why the chamber seemed so interesting. What he finds inside chills him to his core.

"Will you be my friend?" giggles a hideously deformed purple dinosaur. (5)

"AAARRRRRGHH!"

Omake 2.1:

The light adding to the torches weak flickering, he slowly makes his way inside, intent on finding out why the chamber seemed so interesting. What he finds inside chills him to his core.

Inside was Raven in her birthday suit, a small pout on her face as she lay seductively on a bed covered with rose petals.

"Took you long enough to find this place," she quips before grabbing the shocked teen and putting up a do not disturb sign outside the hall.

Needless to say, the Raven in the physical world had some very interesting dreams that night.

Somewhat Omake 3:

"Man, it's good to be home!" Cyborg says with relief as they emerge inside Raven's room. He watches in disgust as Beastboy starts kissing the floor with gusto.

"I don't care if this _is_ Raven's room. We're back!" he retorts.

Giving a sigh of resignation, Cyborg looks around the room once more, noticing Raven on the floor waking up from her meditation, the mirror lying in front of her. _'I guess she doesn't enter the mirror literally,'_ he muses, taking a step back from the dangerous object.

Slowly opening her eyes, Raven sees the three teens watching her expectantly although Raziel seemed to be trying not to be too obvious. Under such scrutiny, even she felt herself blush slightly. "All right, enough staring. Get out of my room now," she gruffs monotonously.

As the door opens, they are greeted by Starfire who gives them a curious expression. "Friends? Is something wrong with Raven?"

"No, I'm fine Starfire," replies the gothic teen who peeks out from behind Cyborg. "We just...clarified some things. Everything's ok now."

"Wonderful! Then let us all rejoin for...Raziel? What happened?" Rushing to the teen's side, she picks him up in her slender arms and starts doting on him like yesterday. "You look worse than ever! We must get you some glorbak pudding!" she says as she carries him to the kitchen. As the two leave, they could see Raziel mouth two words as he was whisked away.

"(Help me!)"

"Uhh, Star?" Cyborg interjects, trying hard not to burst out laughing while Robin stared at Star's retreating figure, unsure if he should fume or laugh as well.

Notes:

(1) Tamaranians are a fierce warrior race (or so I've gathered from the TT series). A few months or years on Earth aren't enough to override generations of instinct.

(2) I don't speak Tamaranian so I have NO idea what I just said. Let's hope it sounds believable :p

(3) For the uninitiated, the spectral realm in the Soul Reaver (and Defiance) games is basically a space which 'occupies' the same space as normal (the material realm) space. However, being a sort of separate dimension, everything appears twisted and convoluted than what they would look like otherwise. Due to this, some things which appeared out of reach in the material realm were suddenly within reach or shaped differently in the spectral realm. (Note this is my own summary on what I think it is. A whole paper could probably be written on the subject p)

(4) The Reaver, once imbued with darkness in the Soul Reaver games, could create dark bridges to solve certain puzzles. I guess it isn't too far off that it could create other objects based on the user's will.

(5) As you all can tell, I love Barney bashing ;-)

(6) Three guesses at what aspect of Raven I could be talking about. Hint: What is touted to be the most powerful thing in the world by some people?


	10. Hands of the Puppeteer

**Souls Entwined**

Disclaimer: I don't own Legacy of Kain, Soul Reaver or Teen Titans. (Sue me, I'm lazy ).

**Hands of the Puppeteer**

"A nip here, a tuck there,"(1) sings a whiney little voice as the sounds of scissors reverberate throughout the dark little room, a small candle providing the only light. With an exaggerated wave of his hand he raises the small object into the air as he cackles maniacally to himself. "Soon, the Teen Titans and everything they represent will cease to exist! I will succeed where all others have failed and take Jump City for my own! HAHAHAAHA!"

T-T-T

"Please Raziel, do you not wish to do the 'hanging out' with me? I wish to experience more of Earth culture," Starfire beams as she floats behind Raziel like a lost puppy.

"I don't 'hang out,'" he retorts dryly, hoping his umpteenth rejection would finally dissuade her.

"Pleeeeaaaase?"

Unfortunately for Razel, that naiveté combined with her dreaded puppy dog stare™ was enough to break even his iron will; the goth teen finally nodding in assent.

"Glorious!" she giggles as she latches on to her relatively newfound friend. "I could not find Robin, Beastboy or Cyborg. I believe they are doing the 'male bonding' I have heard people talk much about."

Raziel gives a sigh of defeat as the girl begins to cut off circulation to his left arm. _'Thankfully my Reaver is on the right,'_ he muses mirthlessly to himself. "So, where exactly do you...?" he begins before being cut off by Starfire.

"Oooh. We must ask friend Raven to join us. I am sure she will be most happy to join us in our 'hanging out'." Dragging the unwilling teen behind her, she flies towards the commons area where she knew her best female friend would be waiting as always.

Best friend in question sat in quiet contemplation, her mind one with the cosmos as she hovered meditated on the previous day's events. While Trigon was no longer an immediate threat thanks to Raziel's help, she still needed to rebuild her mental defenses to prevent him from gaining a foothold again. Hovering several feet above the floor, she chanted her trademark mantra which helped maintain her extreme mental focus. That focus was broken quite spectacularly as a shrill voice shatters her little reverie.

"RAVEN!" Starfire gleefully shouts as she flies into the room. "Will you not join us for the 'hanging out'?"

As the goth teen picks herself up from the floor, her blood pressure suddenly shoots through the roof as she notices the object Starfire was currently attached to; the floor beneath her suddenly spawning several small cracks. Fighting to control the massive twitch that was developing, Raven silently tries to calm herself down. _'Peace, quiet, tranquility. Find your happy place, Raven,'_ she tells herself.

'(Riiiight,)' drawls a voice in her head. '(Your 'happy place' currently has Starfire attached to it,)' the voice quips sarcastically.

_'Shut up!'_ Raven counters, mentally putting up several walls between her and 'her', unaware of the strange looks Starfire was giving her.

"Umm...Raven? Are you unwell? Are you experiencing the 'constipation?'" she asks, her arms still wrapped around Raziel's arm. _'His arm is surprisingly...firm,'_ she notes to herself, feeling her cheeks blush slightly.

Raven, however, notices Starfire's reaction and could only scowl at Raziel's apparent obliviousness to it all. "I'm fine, Star, and no it's not 'constipation.'" she responds dryly. "I wouldn't want to _impose_ on you two so you go ahead without me."

"Are you sure?" Starfire asks as her friend begins to resume her meditation pose, oblivious to the obvious sarcasm in Raven's statement. She did, however, sense that the discussion was over and began to walk towards the door when Cyborg bursts through with a large box, knocking her and Raziel into Raven.

"MAIL CALL!" yells Cyborg as he, Robin and Beastboy enter the room. Unable to see past the large box he was carrying, he hears a loud crash followed by several moans of pain. Setting down his load, he sees the three Titans in a compromising position which causes the metal Titan to grin in amusement. "Ménage à trois? And here I thought you just meditated in your spare time, Raz."

Scrambling to their feet, Raven and Raziel both scowled at their cybernetic friend, the two sporting matching blushes on their pale skin but Starfire, not quite having a full grasp of the English language, merely looked confused. "Ménage à trois? Is it something enjoyable? May I partake in it?" she asks in all innocence.

Robin, who had just entered behind Cyborg nearly burst a blood vessel as soon as he heard Starfire's statement, little visions of things he shouldn't be thinking about dancing about his head. _'Starfire...Raven...'_ he starts to daydream, the blank look on his face not going unnoticed by the resident goth girl.

"Well, if everyone is done," Raven begins sourly, "maybe you can all tell me what was so important to interrupt my meditation over."

"Dunno if it's that important, really," Cyborg answers. "I just found this box outside addressed to the 'Teen Titans.' Weird thing is we almost never get any mail."

"Must be from one of my adoring fans. You know how fans can be," Beastboy brags, whipping out a mirror as he checks himself out.

"Better check it in case it has explosives then," Raziel deadpans as he walks over to the couch, lazily plopping himself down in front of the idiot box. After facing a demon lord like Trigon, small things just somehow failed to excite him anymore.

Suppressing the urge to giggle at Raziel's comment (lest she blow something up), Raven joins the rest of the Titans gathered around the box as Cyborg breaks open the top. Peering into the crate, she raises her eyebrow as she identifies the contents. "Well, that's certainly not something you see everyday," Raven says out loud as she reaches for one of the items.

"Aww, how cute. It's a little wooden Cy," the metallic Titan coos as he pulls out his marionette version. "Looks like a complete set."

Starfire reaches in to find a 'tiny wooden replica of Starfire' staring right back at her. Giggling in delight, she notices that there seemed to be one doll short of the supposed set. "I do not find a wooden replica of Raziel," she comments, glancing at Raziel who seemed to give a nonchalant shrug at that revelation.

"Well, he did just become a Teen Titan recently. Maybe the one who made it doesn't know about Raziel yet. You sure it doesn't it say who it's from?" Robin asks, ever the detective as he examines the puppets for any suspicious signs. "Wow, these things sure are accurate," he adds, pulling a little grappling hook from his puppet's utility belt.

"Speak for yourself," Beastboy scowls after looking over the puppet. "This looks nothing like me!" An evil gleam in his eye, Beastboy suddenly sets his puppet on Robin's, kicking its proverbial wooden butt. "Haha! My puppet's totally beating your puppet!"

Robin returns his green friend's gleam as he counters the attack with a 'flying kick,' knocking puppet Beastboy into puppet Cyborg.

"So that how y'all want to play it, eh?" 'Cyborg' retorts, raising his wooden arm in defiance. Pretty soon the whole fight turned into a wooden bitch slap contest as the three boys gave off Bruce Lee sounds, causing Raven to shake her head in shame and annoyance.

"Would your tiny wooden replica like to do battle with my tiny wooden replica as well, friend Raven?" Starfire asks, shyly raising the little doll in a mock fighting pose.

Raven gives her friend an incredulous look, not quite sure if Starfire was being serious. "Knock yourself out," she replies, handing over puppet Raven to a somewhat disappointed Starfire who decides to watch the three boys in their 'fight' instead of moping on the situation.

"Are you sure you don't want to play dress up as well?" Raziel comments jokingly as Raven takes a seat on the opposite end of the couch, earning him yet another glare from the goth girl. "I hear it's the new 'in' thing nowadays."

"You're just jealous because _you_ didn't get a little dolly to play with," she counters dryly as she makes herself comfortable on the couch.

"How very droll."

_'Just like clockwork,'_ she thinks silently. It had become somewhat of a ritual between the two of them ever since Raziel had become an honorary Titan; one of them would make some snide remark about the other, a small discussion-slash-argument would follow and then both would just sit together quietly, seemingly just ignoring the other. For Raven, she had actually begun to welcome his presence; it was the most time she had ever actually spent with one person aside from Starfire. Sneaking a glance at the stoic boy, she couldn't help but wonder at his reasons for acting the way he did. Raziel didn't seem to care about any of the events that happened in 'Nevermore' and continued to treat her as he normally did (albeit infuriating her with his sarcastic comments from time to time). Although Cyborg and Beastboy, both of whom had survived her mindscape, were a lot more understanding of the way she had to act, they still acted guardedly around her after finding out she was basically the daughter of Satan. Seeing that Raziel had noticed her staring, she closed her eyes and tried to resume her earlier meditation, trying to hide the fact she _was_ staring.

Raziel on the other hand had turned to the goth girl not because he had noticed her staring but because he had felt the need to see her face. Like Raven, he had come to enjoy their 'playful' banter, if it could be called that. With her being the most mature in the entire team he found a sort of kinship to her. Still, the events last night puzzled him and as much as he denied it, he needed answers to them. As the sounds of mock fighting continued behind them, Raziel decides that now would be as good a time as any to ask Raven (given that the others would be too preoccupied to overhear anything).

Sensing something was out of place, Raven opens her eyes to see Raziel staring back at her. "What?" she asks bluntly, never one really for long conversations.

"What does your father want with you?"

That immediately got her attention as she narrows her eyes at the boy. "Why do you want to know?" she asks guardedly. _'So much for not caring I'm half-demon,'_ she thinks bitterly.

"From what I can tell, it's no big deal. So you're a half-demon. I don't see all the fuss he's throwing about to get you," he replies, giving a slight shrug, recalling things much worse than a half-demon.

"No...big...deal?" she chokes out, her face developing a nervous tick. _'I'm not sure whether I should be relieved or insulted,'_ she thinks to herself. As she opens her mouth to answer his question, a small part of her was hesitant to reveal everything. Since when had she started trusting him? Was it really ok to open up to him?

Seeing her tense up, Raziel realizes she still wasn't ready to say more and holds up a hand before she could continue. "It's all right." _'For now,' _he thinks to himself. "I won't force you to say anything you don't want to." With that, he resumes channel surfing while trying to ignore the 'children' behind him.

As Raziel turns away from her she couldn't help but feel saddened somehow, like an opportunity was missed but she couldn't quite fathom what it was. Giving the teen one last look, she resumes her meditations which kept her powers and her father at bay.

T-T-T

Afternoon soon gave way to evening as the Teen Titans got tired to the mock doll fighting. As he watched his friends retire for the night, Raziel headed towards the training room, his mind in turmoil with the words Trigon spoke off when they fought in 'Nevermore.' The instant Raven's blast struck the demon, it had roared angrily in his mind as the link to his daughter was weakened by their combined power.

**_"(yOu cannOt stOp mE, vAmpIre. My daUghteR wilL pAve the Way for me, As iS hEr dEstinY.)"_**

While the demon faded from that plane, his words regarding his true nature still worried Raziel. Try as he may to deny it, the evidence seemed to indicate the accusation was true. _'My unnatural strength, these thoughts about blood...hell, even my pale skin all point towards that fact!'_ Slamming his fist into Cyborg's barbell, it left a deep indentation that could not have been caused by any normal person. Slumping down on the floor, Raziel gives a bitter sigh of frustration as he debated his options should the demon prove to be correct in his assumptions. If worst came to worst, would he actually turn on his new found friends? _'Since when have I started thinking of them as friends?'_ he smirks mirthlessly.

Tiredness setting in, he begins to slowly nod off but the light pitter patter of tiny feet running somewhere in the tower catches his attention. Focusing his senses, he hears the sounds again this time coming from the floor below. _'Rats? No. Footfall's too heavy for a rat; too regular as well.'_ Pushing aside the need for sleep, he silently makes his way through the tower in search of the sound. Something about it just didn't seem right.

A sudden flare of power was all it took for him to start rushing towards the source, his cowl barely making a sound as it whipped behind him. Rounding a corner, he sees Cyborg step out of his room with a blank expression on his face. "Cyborg? Did you sense it...!"

Faster than the eye could see, Cyborg's metallic fist lashed out at him with no warning. Only his enhanced reflexes saved him from a caved in face as he dodged the heavy blow, rolling a few feet away from his attacker.

"You had better have had a good reason to do that, metal man," Raziel threatens, eyes now glowing eerily before noticing the blank expression on his 'friend's' face. He doesn't have time to think about it as Cyborg continues his attack. Each strike was capable of shattering concrete so he wasn't exactly eager to find out what they would do to his skull. Smirking at Cyborg's inability to hit him, he doesn't notice the green bull slam into him from behind, knocking him across the hall. As he gets to his feet, knees shaking from the impact, he turns around to see the same blank expression on the young shape shifter.

_'Beastboy? What in Nosgoth is going on!'_ he mentally shouts, ignoring the pain that tore through is body as he was sure he suffered some internal injuries from that blow. Realizing that if Beastboy and Cyborg turned against him, it would be a safe bet that the other Titans might do the same. With that, he bolted through the dark corridors of the tower, hoping he wouldn't run into any of his former team mates. While somehow he knew that he could probably take them on if he went all out, going all out against them was not an option. As he rounded a corner, he slammed into dark figure, the two collapsing in a twisted heap.

"EEEK! Someone's claws are on my grebnacs!(2)" yells a distinctly female voice.

Raziel, who recognized the voice and what the distinctively squishy 'grebnacs' were, immediately tried to dislodge himself from the girl but found himself further entangling themselves. "My...apologies, Star..." he begins, his voice trailing off as he got a clear view of her neck, the smooth skin somehow beckoning him closer.

"Raziel? Umm..." Starfire begins, feeling herself blush from their closeness. Somehow the two had gotten entangled in his cowl, wrapping them in what would be considered an intimate embrace. With her Tamaranian strength she could have easily broken free but something seemed to be distracting her. Of course it didn't help that their position placed his head a scant inches from her own, his warm breath on her neck, caressing her and sending shivers up her spine. _'What is this feeling? It feels most...pleasant,'_ she thinks vaguely as she feels her body starts to heat up, her mind in a semi-haze of pleasure.

"Are you two done yet or do you need an extra hour?" Raven deadpans with just a hint of vehemence, ignoring the voices in her head grumbling about a 'lucky Starfire.' Yanking the boy's cowl and untangling the two teens, she fitfully taps her foot as if waiting for an explanation.

Shaken out of his earlier trance, Raziel looks back at Starfire with hidden horror, ignoring the girl's own semi-wistful looks at him. _'Did I just...try to bite her?'_ he thinks worriedly. Hearing Raven's incessant tapping quickly reminded him of a more present danger as he hears something cutting the wind behind him. Grabbing the two girls by their waist, he leaps forward just as several explosive discs strike the floor where they were standing. Whirling around in mid-air, he sees Robin staring back at him, a handful of discs waiting to be thrown.

"Robin? What is wrong? Why do you attack us?" Starfire asks as she and Raven were set down.

"I don't think that's Robin in there, Starfire," Raven answers, her senses finding no trace of humanity inside the boy wonder. Before she could explain further, a low growl from the shadows catches her attention. Squinting in the darkness, she makes out the form of a very hungry looking velociraptor. "Beastboy?"

Snapping jaws rush at her, nearly taking her head off had it not been for a hastily raised shield of dark energy. "I don't want to hurt you, Beastboy," Raven states as she continues to raise shields against the dinosaur's powerful head butts. "But the way you're carrying on, you're going to make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."

As she blocks another attack, she sees Raziel launch himself at Robin just as Starfire desperately tried to shoot down all the discs thrown at her. At first the gothic teen seemed to be able to hold his own against the Dark Knight's protégé but soon experience won over instinct as a well placed blow to the abdomen knocked the wind out of Raziel. Although Robin's attack was weak compared to the pale teen's inhuman endurance, Raziel was still human and had the same vital points just like any other person; his enhanced strength no match for biological limitations.

"Raziel!" Raven shouts, her opponent momentarily forgotten as she watches him drop to his knees gasping for air. That created enough of an opening as her foe swings his large tail, easily smashing through her defenses and into the arms of a waiting Cyborg.

Starfire, who had seen what had happened to her friends, vainly attempted to shoot down the explosive discs Robin threw at her but sheer numbers soon overwhelmed her, the shockwave of the blast knocking into Cyborg's outstretched arm. "Robin! Cyborg! Beastboy! Why are you doing this? We are friends!" Starfire pleads as she struggles in her captor's arms.

"They're not your friends any longer, but _my_ servants," chuckles a whiny little voice as the sound of tiny feet can be heard stepping out of the shadows. As he steps out of the shadows, the voice reveals itself to be a little three-foot puppet with an apparent regal complex as it was wearing royal regalia. The crown on top of its head just further cemented the image. "These are your friends," he taunts, raising three small puppets in his hands. As the puppets dangled in his hands, small please of help could be heard coming from their tiny mouths, proof of his statement.

"Let them go," Raven growls, feeling anger and mortification at being defeated by such a tiny opponent.

"I don't think so," he retorts. "I have big plans for all of you, you see. The Teen Titans are going to take over Jump City with no one knowing that _I_, the Puppet King, will be 'working your strings.' Can you imagine a more ironic situation? You will be taking over the city you were sworn to protect!" he laughs maniacally. "And now," he adds, pointing what appeared to be a small puppet control stick (3) at the two girls, "I will..." His monologue is interrupted by a weak chuckle which soon erupts into full blown laughter. Whirling around to face the one who insulted him, he sees a pale teen beneath Robin's boot currently laughing his head off.

"You? A cheap Chucky imitation, take over the city?" Raziel taunts, smirking at his captor. "I've seen old men scarier than you," he deadpans in all seriousness. His insult has the desired effect as the Puppet King shakes with rage causing him to momentarily lose control over Robin which allows Raziel to power out from underneath the boy wonder and launch himself at the Puppet King. Before he could even get close though, a huge green fist grabs his head and slams him face first through the wall.

Starfire screamed in horror at what she believed to be Beastboy committing cold-blooded murder, her eyes shut tight as she feared the worst.

Raven couldn't turn away, both in morbid curiosity and utter shock. While they had fought their fair share of villains, none had ever resorted to outright brutality like this. As the gorilla's meaty paw removed itself from the wall, a limp Raziel collapsed bonelessly to the floor, his face severely bruised but otherwise intact. "Starfire, he's ok," she whispers, hiding her own elation that he was still alive as the Tamaranian began crying anew, this time with tears of relief.

"This one is stronger than I thought. You may prove useful, after all," the Puppet King says to no one in particular. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out a small featureless puppet similar to the ones artists use for posing. "And now you belong to the Puppet King."

Raven watches helplessly as he points the control stick and the doll at Raziel's form. After he uttered a few short words, she could see Raziel's soul being forcefully torn from his body. "Stop it!" she cries out, not really caring if her emotions were to run rampant. Her eyes widen in shock as Raziel slowly rises to his feet, the Soul Reaver manifesting itself in his hand.

"I serve no one," Raziel threatens, raising the Soul Reaver at the Puppet King even as he felt his life force slowly draining into the puppet. Pulling off his cowl, his eyes begin to glow brightly as his soul suddenly begins flowing back into him.

This shocked the Puppet King. No one had ever been able to resist the soul binding spell before. Not only was this person resisting it, but it appeared he was actively fighting back the spell. Also, the killer intent radiating off the teen right now frightened him immensely. Fighting the shaking in his knees, he pours more power into the spell which just barely overpowers Raziel's act of defiance.

As the pull towards the doll gets stronger, Raziel grits his teeth as the power of the Reaver and the control device clash causing a gale-like wind inside the tower. However, he knew that the stalemate wouldn't last long and that he would be on the losing end of the battle. Deciding on an all-or-nothing attack, he rushes the Puppet King, sword poised in a killing strike.

If he could, the Puppet King would have wet his pants as he saw the evil grin on Raziel's face, cold and calculating. _'Are those fangs?'_ were his last thoughts as the blade neared its target. Luckily for him the spell had finally overpowered whatever was resisting it before the boy was able to fulfill his intent, sucking his soul into the featureless doll.

From the side, Raven watched in morbid fascination as Raziel's soul was split from his body. His body collapses bonelessly to the ground but soon rises back to its feet, its eyes glowing with the same green light that was in the other possessed teens. For a brief instant, she thought his soul looked like it had bat-like wings coming from his back. Dismissing it as her eyes playing tricks on her, she continues to struggle against her captor's grasp, human strength unfortunately no match for cybernetic implants.

"Don't worry," sneers the Puppet King as he faces the two remaining Titans. "You two will be next." Tossing aside the doll, he then points his control rod at the girls, twin beams of energy striking them as the spell began its course.

Raven's body starts to spasm as she feels her own soul being ripped from her body.

(_'_You will pay for what you have done to Raziel!') a voice in her head shouts, her eyes taking on a reddish hue as her mouth starts to move of its own volition.

"Azarath...Metrion...Zinthos!"

Now it was the Puppet Master's turn to become surprised as a wave of dark energy knocks him and his minions to the floor, interrupting his spell and shorting out the hallway's electrical systems, cloaking the hall in darkness. As the two souls returned to their bodies, Raven and Starfire took the momentary distraction to escape and hopefully find a way to restore their team mates.

As Starfire scrambles to her feet, her foot hits a small doll. Without thinking, she scoops up the doll and chases after Raven, following her into the one of the access corridors which lined the Titans Tower. Trying to keep as silent as a mouse, she clutches the doll tightly to her chest as her possessed friends run above them.

"Find them!" the Puppet King yells in the distance. "They mustn't escape!"

As the voices and footsteps finally grow fainter, Raven releases her breath, shivering slightly as it feels unusually breezy.

"Oh Raven, what has happened? Our friends have been turned into dolls and now they fight against us!" Raven hears herself moan. _'Did I just say that?'_ she thinks to herself. _'Since when did I talk so...wordy?' _

"Remain calm, Starfire. Let's think about this rationally first," she replies calmly, hoping to placate the nervous Tamaranian and not really noticing the higher pitch of her voice. Reaching up for the light switch, she finally realizes that her voice seemed to pitched higher than normal. As the light comes on, Raven freezes as she finds that she was standing face to face with herself. "Starfire?"

Starfire gasps as he sees her normally cute face staring right back at her with a dry expression. "Raven? Why are you me?" Looking over her body, she sees a familiar blue cloak and pale hands instead of her normal appearance. Gasp "Why am I you?" With that, a bolt of black lightning jumps from her body and pops the single light bulb.

"This is not good," Raven deadpans.

T-T-T

Screaming in pain as he felt his soul torn from his body, Raziel felt a strange sense of disorientation as he was projected into the lifeless doll, his senses suddenly cut from the outside world. All sight, sound, and touch no longer seemed to function. All he had left were his thoughts.

_'What happened? Am I dead?'_ he thinks briefly before regaining his senses. _'No. I remember the doll...the bastard put me in the doll!'_

Looking around proved useless as everything was just pitch black. Sensory-deprived, he couldn't feel his body much less the passing of time and it was starting to irritate him. _'This feels strangely...familiar,_' he thinks to himself, flashbacks being trapped in _something_ surfacing. _'I don't like it._' Wondering if the other Titans were experiencing the same sensation didn't help except buy him a few moments of distraction. He hoped Raven and Starfire were able to escape as he felt Raven's power suddenly flare up before everything went black. 'Sighing' to himself, Raziel did the only thing he could think of to alleviate his stress.

_'Azarath...Metrion...Zinthos...'_ he chants, not really aware of the trials the two girls were undergoing.

T-T-T

"This is most horrible!" Boom "Our friends are captured," Crack "we have no idea where they are," Smash "and I may be stuck looking like this forever!" Starfire moans, completely oblivious to the random objects being destroyed. While they had escaped the tower using the sewer system and made their way to the streets, they knew that their former team mates would not be far behind and silently made their way through the sleeping city. However, not possessing Raven's extreme mental focus, her current body's powers simply lashed out at everything and anything and their journey was anything but silent.

"Calm down, Starfire, or they'll find us," Raven admonishes, placing her hand on her...Starfire's shoulder hoping to calm the girl down. "We'll get the boys back, _and_ get them and ourselves in our proper bodies." As Starfire gives a hesitant smile, Raven notices her clutching something within the folds of her cloak. "What do you have there?" she asks.

"Oh, this? I believe it is Raziel. I picked him up when we escaped," Starfire answers as she reveals the featureless wooden doll, a sad expression on her face. "I could not reach the others...they were too far away. I am sorry, Raven," she sobs softly.

"It's...ok Star," Raven replies, not quite sure how she should comfort the Tamaranian. "We should..." she stops mid-sentence as she hears a hawk's cry high above them. Eyes straining in the dark, they widen as she notices the hawk's greenish hue. "Move!" Grabbing her friend, she dashes into an alley as zombie Beastboy swoops down on them, pretty sure the rest of the zombie crew would follow. _'Come on! Fly, already!'_ she mentally wills her body, eliciting no response whatsoever.

"Raven? Why are you flapping your arms?"

"How do you make this thing fly?" she asks as they continue to run through the alleys.

"You must...EEK..._feel_ the joy of flight!" Starfire responds, dodging a sudden bird-a-rang from behind.

"...Riiight...Starbolts?"

"Righteous...dodge...fury!"

_'I don't like where this is going.'_ "I know I'm going to regret this but...evade...super strength?"

"Boundless confidence!"

"That...could be a problem, Starfire," Raven deadpans, avoiding a small green flying squirrel as it nearly nips her ear. As they round a corner, Raven comes face-to-face with the one person who she didn't want to fight against. "Raziel..."

'Raziel' stares at his targets, eyes glowing with a pale green glow as his face twists into a snarl. Launching himself at 'Starfire', he swipes at the girl who barely dodges the attack. Several hairs were not as lucky as his hands, curled like claws, slashed through them like a knife through butter.

"Ah! My hair!" Starfire yells as she sees the strands fall to the ground.

"Starfire, I think your hair is the least of our concerns," she retorts, her eyes still on her opponent. _'Why isn't he summoning the Reaver?'_ she ponders.

"Raven, I think we should leave now," Starfire pipes up worriedly as she backs away from Robin and Beastboy, the former now a huge tiger and the latter with several bird-a-rangs drawn.

Raven wasn't having any better luck against her fellow goth, his slashes forcing her to back up against a wall. _'This just isn't my day. All that we need now is...'_ Her train of thought is cut off as two metal fists smash through the wall behind them. _'This REALLY isn't my day.'_

Now surrounded by their former friends, Raven grabs Starfire's hand like her life depended on it. "Starfire. Since I can't fly, _you _have to levitate. You remember those words I always use?"

"Oh, yes! Azarath, Metrion..."

"Wait, Star! You have to concen..."

"ZINTHOS!"

Raven hung on for dear life as Starfire shot into the air like a bullet, traveling faster than she'd ever traveled before. Normally, whenever she would fly her mind was always in a complete state of focus and control, allowing her to fly at a controlled pace. However, Starfire's natural state of mind was more wild and free like her namesake, the result of which caused an explosive release of her body's powers. Biting back her scream, she closes her eyes and waits patiently for the end to come. _'Not exactly how I pictured dying, but I guess one more disappointment in my life won't matter.'_

Zooming randomly around the city, Starfire tried valiantly to regain control of her flight but having been used to flying with a different emotion, it only caused her to spiral uncontrollably. Unfortunately, the violent movements also caused her to lose her grip on the wooden doll. "Raven!" she screams, hoping that her friend could react fast enough.

Raven's eyes shoot open as she hears the panic in Starfire's voice. Having shut them earlier as her life began flashing before her eyes, she was hesitant to open them again but something about the way he friend screamed seemed deadly important. Her fears were confirmed as she sees Raziel slip out of Starfire's grasp and plunge to the pavement below. Too little too late, she reaches out with her free hand but they were simply flying too fast.

"Raven! We must go back for Raziel! How do I stop?" Starfire yells frantically as they continued their erratic pattern.

"Look down and..." Before she could finish her instructions Starfire _does_ look down, causing the two of them to go crashing into a pile of garbage. Knocking the wind out of her, she is both surprised and relieved she appeared to be in one piece. Shaking her head to clear the cobwebs, she sees Starfire already crawling out of the pile of refuse, her expression one of worry and panic. Hearing the familiar hawk's cry above them, she grabs her friend and pulls her back under the stink pile, holding her hand over the Tamaranian's mouth.

Starfire's scream of surprise is muffled as Raven's hand clamps down on her mouth. Realizing something must be amiss, she complies and keeps as still as possible. As if on cue, the possessed Titans appear in the alley searching for the two girls. Being mindless and only following orders, they didn't bother to do a thorough search of the alley and ignored the pile of garbage beside them.

"Keep searching! They can't have gotten far," the Puppet King commands as he steps out of the shadows. "They landed here so they must be close by. Spread out and search." As his zombies fan out, he begins to chuckle to himself as he heads off in another direction. "_My_ Titans. It has a nice ring to it."

Once hey are finally alone, Raven takes her hand off her friend's mouth and lets out a sigh of relief, finally realizing she had been holding her breath. Her relief turns to irritation as Starfire begins crawling out again without any regard for stealth or caution. "Starfire!" she hisses. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I have to find Raziel! Who knows what has happened to him?" she answers, not bothering to look back. A yank on her cloak stops her mid-stride as she falls backwards on her rear.

"And what will you do if you encounter them? It's not as if you can fight in your condition. You'll be a danger to everyone around you!"

"And _you_ have a better plan?" Starfire snaps back, black energy lashing out at a garbage bin and crushing it instantly.

"See? You have to calm down. Worrying will get us nothing. What we need to do is find out what the Puppet King's plans are. Raziel...will have to wait," she retorts, finding the last statement somewhat hard to say.

"Wait! Do you not even _care_ what happens to Raziel? What if the doll is broken! What will happen to him then? Did you even think about that!" Starfire shouts back, not really caring as a black aura starts to grow around her. A sudden slap to her face shocks her briefly but soon here anger is back to the forefront. Staring down Raven, she readies herself to strike back as Raven's eyes begin glowing bright green. What stops her is that although the glowing eyes would normally indicate righteous fury, she could see twin trails of tears flowing down Raven's face.

"Don't..._ever_...say I don't care," Raven bites back angrily, fighting to hold back the tears. "Do you even _know_ what I have to go through everyday so that you're all safe! Do you understand _why_ I have to remain calm! You don't have any _right_ to say _I_ don't care!" she shouts. Somehow, being in Starfire's body caused long unused emotions to come rushing forth, overwhelming her as she collapses to her knees sobbing. "You don't know me," she almost whispers.

Seeing a side of Raven she had never seen before, Starfire's anger dissipates almost as quickly as it came. Kneeling beside the now emotional Raven, she wraps her arms gently around the girl and gently rocks her friend. "You are right. I..._we_...do not really know each other even if we have been team mates for quite some time." Allowing her friend to let out her emotions for once, she looks around to be sure that there was no sign of the possessed Titans. "Perhaps...it is time we do get to know one another," she says out loud.

Raven, who more or less had gotten a handle on her emotions again, wipes her eyes as she gives Starfire a small nod. "You're right. If we're going to save the boys, we need to understand each other."

"Then I believe I will start," Starfire begins, making herself comfortable on the pavement. "Since I came to Earth I have adopted the name Starfire but my real name is...Koriand'r, second born of King Myand'r and Queen Luand'r of the planet Tamaran..."

T-T-T

_'How long has it been? A few minutes? A few hours? Days!'_ Raziel began to feel agitated as his meditation could only go so far, not having the same amount of mental discipline that Raven had. _'There must be some way to get out of here.'_ Remembering how he 'willed' himself through the doors the other day, he concentrates his power and tries to will himself out of the doll. A few minutes seemed to pass but soon his 'eyes' started to focus, faint details making themselves known. Elation at his discovery, he continues to summon more power, each passing second making his vision clearer. As his vision started to clear, his other senses also started to reawaken as well. Strangely enough, they were telling him he was falling.

Forcing his 'eyes' to open, he suddenly sees the pavement rushing up to meet him. Still unable to move his body, he could only stare and watch as he 'felt' it smash on the sidewalk, pretty sure his body would have shattered on impact. Facedown, he was in no better position than he was earlier as he still had no idea what was happening around him. Frustration turns to worry as he hears heavy panting in the distance. _'Dog,'_ he thinks mirthlessly.

The said dog had already started to approach him, curious at the broken object it saw. Being a dog, it categorized things it saw under 3 headings: for eating, for fighting, or for play. Seeing as the doll was not something it could eat, nor was it something that it fought, it only meant it was the last category. Checking to see the surroundings were empty, it then proceeded to bite into wooden doll.

By now, Raziel was more than pissed off to say the least. First was Trigon's statement about his true nature, then some little megalomaniac thought to imprison him in a doll (why did the other Titans get replicas while he got a plain one?), and to top it off he was now the chew toy of some stray dog. _'I am not your chew toy!'_ he mentally growls, spewing out curses in every language he knew. All of a sudden, a pink bolt of energy strikes the pavement near the dog, frightening it and causing it to drop him and flee.

"Get lost, ya mangy mutt," a familiar voice snaps.

Hearing the person approach him, he feels her pick him up by his cloak. _'Cloak? Since when did I have a cloak?'_ he wonders.

"Ewww. Dog drool," the girl states disgustingly.

As he feels himself being wiped by a tissue, he couldn't help but finally notice where he was. _'I know this alley.'_ When the girl turns him around to face him, his suspicions were confirmed.

"Heya, cutie," Jinx grins, looking like the cat that ate the canary. "Although you're not exactly cute now," she adds. "I swear, I never knew you had such a colorful vocabulary."

_'You can...hear me?'_

"Well, duh! I'm surprised no one else came running here with that sailor language," she retorts, a smirk on her face. That smirk turns into a frown as she starts to hear the murmurings behind her.

"Mommy, is that girl talking to a doll?" "Shh. Don't look her in the eye." "You think she's...you know..."

_'It would appear _you_ are the only one who can hear me,'_ Raziel guffaws, causing Jinx's eyebrow to start twitching. If it wasn't for the fact that it wouldn't be worth her effort, she would have hexed those people already.

"Don't laugh, goth boy. You'd still be a chew toy if it wasn't for me," she whispers threateningly yet playfully. Bounding up the building walls with little effort, she leaves behind the staring civilians who put it down to just normal meta-human behavior.

Landing on the roof of one of the buildings, she places the doll on the floor as she makes herself comfortable beside it. "All right, Raziel. Spill. Explain to me why one, you're a doll," '_although you were already a doll before'_ she snickers to herself. "Two, why such a...unique...looking doll?"

Raziel started to answer but Jinx's second question piqued his own curiosity. _'Wait. What _do_ I look like?'_ he asks.

Reaching into her pocket, Jinx pulls out a small compact and flips open the case. Holding it in front of Raziel, she could almost swear he heard him gasp.

Looking at his reflection, he was surprised at the current state of the doll. For some reason, it was no longer the featureless marionette that he had originally been imprisoned in. The plain wood texture was replaced by a rough bluish texture almost organic in appearance. The doll's jaw was gone, most likely shattered when he struck the pavement earlier. His body also looked...frail...for lack of a better term but retained features similar to what his costume looked like, down to his boots and cloak. His hands and feet were a different matter though, both appearing more claw-like than their original shape. The two, from what he could surmise, tattered wings on his back were something else entirely which he couldn't even begin to explain. _'That was...surprising,'_ he murmurs to himself.

"Well? You still haven't answered my question," she states impatiently.

'Scowling' as much as he could at the girl at her impatience, he couldn't help but find her something of an enigma. While it was true she was part of the Hive, something about her didn't seem to fit the 'super villain' theme. He supposed that if she were translated into one of Beastboy's games she would probably fall somewhere between Chaotic Good and Chaotic Neutral. Deciding that he needed outsider help (specifically hers) to get his body back, he opted to tell her of the current situation he was in.

A few minutes later he regretted that decision as Jinx was rolling with laughter.

"So let me snicker get this straight," she says between giggles. "the Titans get a gift of some giggle dollies which turn out to be the trap of some guy called mrph 'The Puppet King.' He then traps all of you in these dolls and now is going to take over the city?"

_'Pretty much.' _

"BWAHAHAHA!" By now Jinx was laughing so hard she was crying. "Mammoth and Gizmo are gonna have a fit they lost to a puppet! They sooo wanted to defeat the Titans but if they find out they were beaten to it by a puppet...HAHAHAHA!"

_'You do know that the Titans did beat all of you, you know,'_ Raziel retorts monotonously. _'You know what that means?'_ he adds with a smirk.

"That's only because you were the unknown factor," she huffs, slightly miffed Raziel had to bring _that_ up. "Of course, I really wasn't trying either," Jinx adds playfully, running a finger along Raziel's wooden body. "Maybe next time you can try me on for real."

_'_If_ I had my body back I just might take you up on that offer,'_ Raziel retorts. _'So will you help me?'_

"Now why would I want to help the Titans?" she responds in a sing-song voice as she places a finger on her chin in a thoughtful manner. Sensing Raziel silently fuming brought a cat-like smirk to her face. "All right," she replies. "I'll do it for a favor from you."

_'What favor?'_ Raziel asks, somewhat suspicious of owing someone anything.

"Oh, don't worry. You don't have to do anything illegal," Jinx replies while grinning. "Scout's honor."

_'Somehow I doubt you were ever in the scouts,'_ Raziel responds dryly. _'Fine. We need to find out where the Puppet King went...stop laughing.'_

mmph "Sorry. It's just that name is just so...lame! Buwahahaha!"

_'It is lame, I suppose,'_ Raziel replies, amusement clearly heard in his voice. Try as he might, it was nice to see Jinx laughing instead of her melancholy state when they talked last time. As Jinx picks him up, she takes a look at him and her two hands for a few seconds before sighing loudly. Without warning, she suddenly places him in the collar of her blouse nestled between her breasts.

"Don't get any ideas, woody," she scolds monotonously. "I need both hands for this, but I also need to be touching you. Your body is saturated with whatever power he used and I should be able to trace it." Placing her hands together in an intricate pose, her eyes begin to glow a pale pink as her power spreads throughout the city, searching for any disruption in the planet's lei lines. After a few minutes of concentration she suddenly looks to the east. "Found him," she smirks. "Hang on!" Leaping from building to building, she easily crosses the gaps in jumps that would have made Robin envious.

As a doll, each jump Jinx made caused him to become further nestled in her bosom. If Raziel could blush, he would probably burst into flame at his current predicament. _'I swear she's doing this on purpose,_' he thinks to himself. _'Although it wouldn't be such a bad way to go,'_ another part of him thinks.

"I heard that."

T-T-T

Trailing their former friends had proven somewhat difficult as they apparently were ordered to keep watch for them. Still, they were able to track them to an abandoned warehouse, curiously owned before by 'Puppet's 'R' Us.' Only Raven seemed to appreciate the irony of it all as she lifted the two of them to the roof.

"Azarath...Metrion...Zinthos."

The locks around the roof entrance break apart in a small shower of dark energy as Starfire gives her new powers a road test. "I did it!" she cheers, causing the doors to blow open loudly.

_'And there goes the element of surprise,'_ Raven sighs to herself. "Good work, Kori." It looked like Starfire got the hang of her powers faster than she had anticipated. _'Which is more than I can say for myself,'_ she thinks morosely. So far all she had been able to do was fly. The rest of Starfire's powers where just out of her grasp. She is shaken out of her reverie as her friend beckons her to follow.

Silently making their way through the abandoned warehouse, the two switched Titans search for their missing friends before the spell could be made permanent. Strangely enough, the warehouse seemed a bit too quiet for anything to be taking place. However, an eerie glow coming from the center of the building gave more than enough indication that something was definitely amiss. Giving Starfire a silent signal, the two split up to different corners of the building as they prepare to deal 'death from above,' so to speak.

As Raven creeps along the catwalks, she notices the Puppet King dropping a fine powder into a bonfire, the flame taking on a greenish tinge. In his hands lay their targets: the puppets which contained the souls of their friends. Struggling against her body's natural instinct to jump in starbolts blazing, she continues to watch, waiting for the correct opportunity to strike. However, as soon as the flame changes color, a wave of pure power seemed to emanate from it which brings the goth girl to her knees, her whole body suddenly shaking with fear. Glancing towards Starfire, she could see that even the Tamaranian was having trouble keeping steady as she visibly shivered. Most likely it was because her true body was already saturated in magical energies and may have reacted to the power below. Forcing herself calm, she maintains her observation of the scene before her although she could swear she could almost hear two voices below.

The Puppet King looks at the flame almost reverently as he kneels before it. "Master, I have three souls for you this time," he states, head bowed as he does so.

**"(Excellent, my good and faithful servant,)" **a voice seems to radiate from the flame. **"(However, you promised me more, did you not?)"**

"There was a...complication," he responds shakily. "There was someone else with the Titans..."

**"(I care not for your excuses!)"** the voice booms. **"(_HE_ has begun targeting this world. If he and his progeny come to power, the Wheel will cease to turn. I need those souls in order to prepare for _his_ coming. " **

Head nearly touching the floor, he shakes with fear at the anger his lord was displaying. "Do not worry, master...they will be delivered soon." Eyes shifting towards the roof, he raises the control stick into the air as it glows brightly. "Titans, GO!"

A scream from Starfire catches Raven's attention as she sees the Tamaranian slam into a wall, her body burned from what appeared to be small explosives. Before she could rush to help, blue beam of energy hits her from above as Cyborg drops from his hiding place in the shadows. Barely regaining her senses, she manages to concentrate just enough to fly to safety as the metallic Titan crashes into where she once stood. "Starfire! Concentrate!" she yells.

Hearing Raven's voice, the Tamaranian shakes the cobwebs from her head as four bird-a-rangs halt in mid-air barely an inch from her face, the objects surrounded by dark energy. "I do not wish to fight you, Robin." As the zombie Robin steps out of the shadows, the bird-a-rangs do an about-face and fly back towards their owner. "But I will if I must." Levitating into the air, she readies herself to fight just as 'Robin' deftly avoids the flying projectiles.

Raven sighed with relief as Starfire looked like she was holding her own against the boy wonder. Too bad the same couldn't be said for her as she had to contend with both Cyborg and Beastboy; all she could do was avoid their attacks as she struggled to bring out her body's abilities. _'I _really_ hate my life,'_ she thinks dryly just as a small bat nicks her cheek. Putting her hand up to where she was hit, she feels something warm trail down her face. Looking at her hand, she could see a small amount of blood which had come from the wound. "You did _not_ just cut my face," she growls. Eyes glowing brightly, she zips towards the now simian Beastboy and gives him a powerful uppercut, knocking the Titan several feet back. "And I still haven't forgiven you for entering my room."

Outside, Jinx had stopped a scant meters away from the warehouse, her senses telling her to run away. Looking at the current form Raziel was in was enough to remove any doubts she had. She wouldn't wish to be trapped like that on her worst enemy. _'Well, maybe Raven,'_ she chuckles to herself. _'But only for a week or so.'_

_'Is this the place?'_ Raziel asks. While he could sense Jinx's power 'comfortably' nestled where he was, he could not sense anything else outside of a few feet away and relied on her magical senses completely. Of course, he couldn't move at all so even if his powers were at full capacity he doubted they would have been of much use. He was grateful the girl had decided to help him, given her animosity towards the Titans in general. Still, _why_ she had decided to help still puzzled him to no end, the favor she had asked of him still a mystery as well.

"Yeah, we're here," she replies, trying to hide the uncertainty in her voice. _'Brrr. Whatever's in there, I don't want to know what it is. And people wonder why I don't _want_ to be a hero.'_

_'All right. If I'm not mistaken, our best bet would be...' _

"The roof, right?" Jinx interjects. "Hey, I _am_ a thief, you know," she smirks. Using the old lamp post as a springboard, she easily jumps onto the rooftop with grace that would make a gymnast proud. Looking at the skylight, she sees that the padlock had already been forcibly opened. A bit curious, she touches the lock and the signature power behind it was unmistakable. "Looks like blue-girl is already here." A loud explosion which shakes the building's foundations is enough to confirm her statement.

_'Something's not right,'_ Raziel interjects, the power he was feeling now seemed old, almost ancient. It radiated a deep hunger that he couldn't even begin to fathom. _'We need to get inside now.'_

The urgency and worry in Raziel's voice caused her some concern. If it worried him, she wondered what that meant for her. _'I can't believe I'm actually helping the Titans,'_ she sighs to herself. As she made her way through the building, the sounds of battle continued to reverberate throughout the abandoned structure, the creaking of steel causing her some worry.

Raziel was completely ignoring the vibrations that shook the warehouse. His main concern was the presence that seemed to permeate the air. As he and Jinx enter the main hall, his anger rises at the scene before him. 'Raven' was squaring off against Robin, her cloak singed and tattered in several places as she blocked several explosives with a black forcefield. 'Starfire' fared no better as she had her hands full grappling with Cyborg on her right and a green gorilla on her left.

"Go, my minions! Defeat them!" yells a voice from the floor below.

Jinx turns to the source of the voice and sees the Puppet King, and gives a short snicker. _'_That's_ the Puppet King? Oh this is too rich!' _she giggles. "Wait a minute..." she trails off as she realizes something. "I count five..." She freezes up as a wave of killing intent, for lack of a better term, materializes behind her. Diving forward as a pair of arms nearly grab her, Jinx does a mid-air spin as she lands a few feet away from the figure. Catching a glimpse of her attacker, she is hardly surprised when she sees it to be Raziel (or his body, in any case). Her heart nearly skips a beat as she realizes that he didn't have his cloak covering his mouth as usual; his pale yet somehow regal face staring back at her impassively. _'Hmm. Helping Raziel just got a lot more interesting,'_ she purrs to herself.

_'Jinx, why are you grinning like that?'_ Raziel asks as the girl suddenly shifts her stance.

"Let's just say you _really _owe me after this is over," she answers cryptically.

Before Raziel could ponder on that, his body charged at Jinx, crossing the distance between them in the blink of an eye. _'How did...? I never moved that fast!'_ he thinks worriedly. Not only had the Puppet King taken possession of his body, apparently he was also able to enhance its abilities further. Given how Jinx fought against him the last time, he wasn't sure how she'd fare now. His worry turns to surprise as she easily dodges the attack, crouching low before launching a powerful spinning kick at his head. As he staggers, she follows up by leaping over him, landing with a handstand on her opponent and using the momentum to toss him like a rag doll.

_'That was...impressive to say the least. So sorcery isn't your only skill, then,'_ Raziel comments approvingly.

"Heh. I told you I was holding back. I've got a lot more _skills_ that I could show you,' she winks suggestively. Seeing her opponent rise again, the humor from earlier vanishes as she gets into a different fighting stance.

Getting back on his feet, 'Raziel' growls at the girl as he charges at her once more; throwing punches and kicks left and right which all fail to connect with their target. With each passing second, his movements become less human and more primal, crouching on all fours as he an inhuman growl rises from his throat.

Sensing something was amiss, Jinx decides on a strategic retreat as she runs across the catwalk, trying to put some distance between the two of them. "C'mon, big boy. You want a piece of this?" she taunts, giving her rear a playful spank. As she expected, 'Raziel' takes chase, unexpectedly leaping high and scurrying along the wall like a spider. _'Ok, I wasn't expecting THAT but at least he's following,'_ she thinks as she charges up her hex powers. As soon as he was at point blank range she lets off a plethora of blasts which all slam into the goth teen, causing a small explosion. If Raziel could sweat, he would be right now at the sheer damage those could have caused.

_'I'll thank you not to injure my body _too_ much,'_ Raziel says dryly, wincing as he was sure to feel that once he got his body back.

"I'm sorry, next time I'll just let it attack me!" she retorts sarcastically. "Here I am, going out of my way to help and you're complaining?" Not really expecting her target to be getting up soon, she was caught unawares as a hand suddenly shoots out from the smoke and grips her throat, lifting her lithe frame off her feet and slamming her into a wall. "Me and my...big mouth," she rasps as she struggles against her attacker, her vision going black as her oxygen was being cut off. Realizing that she was beginning to pass out, she releases a desperate area-effect hex-bolt, causing the catwalk they were standing on to collapse. It worked as she had hoped, loosening his grip around her neck as they fell.

Raziel felt nothing but helplessness as he and Jinx plummeted, the sorceress unmoving as she fell. Time seemed to slow down as the floor zoomed closer and closer. As the two of them neared the floor, he began to feel a distinct spiritual pull. Acting on instinct, he allowed himself to be drawn in, the whole world blurring for an instant before becoming clear again.

Jinx on the other hand had expanded too much energy in that area-hex and could barely move a finger. _'Heh. Guess this is what I get for trying to play good girl,'_ she thinks bitterly. Glancing briefly at the doll nestled between her breasts, she gives a sad smile as she wonders how Raziel would have done if he made it in H.A.E.Y.P. Just before she blacks out, the doll begins to emit a strange gas before it begins to glow.

The next few moments seemed to be a blur. All Raziel could remember was that one moment he was falling and then that odd sensation of displacement. The next moment he had the sorceress in his arms and had twisted in the air in such a way that he slammed his body into the floor below. Knowing it would take more than that to take 'himself' out, he spares a brief glance the girl in his arms before setting her down a few feet away. Looking at 'himself' get up, he pops a few kinks in his neck before grinning evilly. "Now, let's have my body back."

T-T-T

Startled by the sudden crash behind her, Raven nearly looses her 'boundless confidence' but quickly regains her senses enough to land a powerful split kick on Beastboy and Cyborg, knocking the two away from her as Starfire continued to block Robin's strike's with black shields. Turning to see what exactly happened, her eyes widened at what she saw. Standing with nary a bruise was 'Raziel', or rather his possessed body. He seemed to be acting in an almost feral manner, nearly on all fours as he approached his opponent.

Raziel's opponent stood several feet in front of an unconscious Jinx which caused her to worry. _'The HIVE? Here? This isn't good.'_ They were barely holding their own against their teammates. She knew they wouldn't be able to handle the HIVE as well and if Jinx was here, tweedle-dee and tweedle dum wouldn't be far behind. Taking a closer look at the person standing over Jinx, she first expected it to be Mammoth or Gizmo but started to stare in morbid fascination at his appearance. His body, for lack of a better term, looked decayed and fragile; sinewy muscle clearly seen where skin should have been. The unnatural blue color also gave it an unearthly appearance the likes of which she had only seen in her dreams (or nightmares as the case may be). Its three-clawed talons added to the demon-like appearance of the creature, eyes glowing with an unearthly light. However, one particular detail stood out which caught her attention and that was the blood-red cowl he wore around the lower half of his face.

_'No...it couldn't be!' _Before she could confirm her suspicions, a powerful blow slams into her from behind, knocking her to her knees. Eyes glowing with 'righteous fury', she catches the huge metal fist before it has a chance to hit her again. "Sorry, Cyborg," she says out loud as she lands an open palm strike, knocking him into Robin. Hearing a growl from the shadows, she turns and faces the same green velociraptor that she fought back at the tower. "Now, where were we?"

T-T-T

"Thank you, Raven," Starfire responds as her opponent is buried beneath Cyborg's huge frame. She really didn't want to hurt Robin despite the words she said earlier. Sensing something amiss, she sees the Puppet King slowly approaching the altar with the three dolls. Remembering his tirade about a 'sacrifice', her eyes glow with dark power as she telekinetically yanks the dolls out of his hands causing him to simmer with anger.

"No! You will not deny my master!" he yells. Pointing his control rod at some rags, a beam of light strikes the discarded articles animating them into soulless puppets which charge at the neo-gothic girl.

"Eeep!" Wishing she had her starbolts, Starfire frantically dodges the dolls' swipes as they nick her cloak, their hands easily tearing the blue fabric. She gets a reprieve as 'Raziel' flies through the air and crashes into the dolls. Turning towards the direction he came from, she gasps in shock at the ghoulish figure approaching her. As it walks in her direction, she raises her hands in a tentative defense, hands surrounded by a dark power. What stops her is when the figure speaks with a familiar accent she thought she wouldn't hear again.

"If you'll excuse me, Raven, I have a body I need to take back."

"Raziel? Is it truly you?" she blurts out loud, not quite believing what she was seeing. Any doubt was removed as a glowing sword materializes in the ghoul's hand. Before she could call out to him, several marionettes descend from the roof, dog-piling her as they claw at the pale teen.

"EEEK! No clawing please!"

T-T-T

As the Reaver materializes, Raziel feels a strange sense of déjà vu as he faces himself, as if this scene had already played itself out so long ago. Filing away his musings for later, he charges at 'himself', intent on ending the fight immediately. However, a telekinetic bolt slams into him, knocking him several meters away. _'I never realized how much those things actually _hurt_'_ he groans as he gets back on his feet. _'So, it can use my telekinetic blasts. How the hell did I get so powerful?' _His musings are cut off as several more bolts hurl towards him. Only his quick reflexes saved him as he used the Reaver as a make-shift shield, the ethereal blade absorbing some of the energy released by the attacks. Still, the energy that got through was enough to make him stagger as he falls to one knee. Suddenly feeling very exhausted, he takes quick look at his surroundings and sees 'Raven' and 'Starfire' also having a much harder time dealing with their opponents compared to earlier. Focusing his senses, he picks up something powerful in the direction of the Puppet King, the control rod raised high in the air. The device itself was glowing brightly with an unearthly power which seemed to match the glow in the possessed Titans' eyes. _'Maybe _that's_ why,'_ Raziel growls silently.

The Puppet King was laughing maniacally as his Titans proceeded to "beat the stuffing" out of their opponents. "Yes, that's it. All who oppose the Puppet King should be destroyed!" If he couldn't have all the Titans to control, at least he could still offer their souls to his master. His rant is cut off as a body flies in front of him missing him by mere inches. It crashes into the wall leaving a teen-sized indentation. Looking at who tossed the teen, he sees a ghoulish figure slowly approaching him, a promise of pain in its glowing eyes. "Who...what _are_ you?" he stammers, his whole body quivering with fear all of a sudden.

If the Puppet King could see Raziel's face (and if Raziel still had a jaw), he would have seen it twist in an evil sneer as if laughing at some private joke. "How could the 'maker' not know his own 'son'?" he answers.

As the Puppet King raises the control rod in a feeble defense, a clawed hand snatches it away before he could even utter a single word. As he is lifted up by his collar, he stares into the blue demon's pupil-less eyes as they seem to bore straight into his soul.

"Now then, what was it you said to me before? Ah, yes. 'You belong to the Puppet King,'" Raziel sneers vehemently. "Call off your dolls _now_."

"I...I need my control rod," the Puppet King answers in a weak voice, pointing to the device in Raziel's hand.

Raziel gave him a glare which said 'Do you take me for a fool.' He was about to retort angrily when a swipe from a marionette nearly takes off his head. Easily punching a hole in its head, he levels his gaze back at the Puppet King with promises of pain.

"I can't control them without my rod!" he nearly stutters, his body now trembling with fear.

"Raziel! Help!" 'Raven' yells as the dolls claw at her, unable too move as they had her pinned down. She was already bleeding from numerous cuts and more continue to appear on her as they continued their attack. 'Starfire' was unusually quiet but was in no better shape, a bird-a-rang sticking out of her shoulder as she lay against the wall breathing heavily. A large bruise was already forming on her face, most likely from Cyborg's fist.

Gritting his teeth in frustration as he realizes the doll may be telling the truth, Raziel reluctantly hands over the rod to the Puppet King but pulls it back before he could touch it. "No tricks."

"Of course," he nods nervously.

As soon as the doll touched the control rod Raziel knew he had walked into a trap, ethereal energies lashing out at him as a gale-force wind suddenly fills the room, knocking back everything around them.

"Fool! I will never surrender the Titans!" the Puppet King yells over the howl of the wind.

Reacting purely on instinct, he lashes out with the Reaver and, by luck or coincidence, pierces the control rod, destroying the said object. The backlash of energy released was so great that everything simply went white as the two powers reacted violently. If people were outside at this time of night they would have thought the sun was rising on the horizon. As he feels his consciousness slipping, Raziel could hear the Puppet King wail in agony.

"No! Without my control rod I'm just..."

T-T-T

"Raziel? Wake up," a familiar voice almost pleads as he feels someone shaking him. Slowly opening his eyes, he sees Raven kneeling over him, the barest hint of concern in her eyes as she gives a weak smirk before scowling at the teen.

"When we get back, you have a lot of explaining to do, 'blue boy'," she whispers tiredly before collapsing on top of him.

Catching the unconscious girl in his arms, he looks worriedly at her but a gloved hand on his shoulder interrupts his train of thought.

"Don't worry. She's just exhausted from healing all of us," Robin says, pointing towards Starfire who no longer sported any injuries at all. The boy wonder waved at the Tamaranian who was bouncing around hugging herself, all the while singing 'I'm me again!' like a mantra. "Man, Raziel you sure can hit," he adds, rubbing his shoulder unconsciously.

Feeling himself sigh with relief, he looks back at the gothic girl, noticing for the first time how peaceful she looked as she slept in his arms. "Stupid girl," he whispers without any malice. "Tiring yourself out like that."

"Idiot," the girl whispers back, blissfully unaware of her current position which causes Raziel to raise an eyebrow.

Smirking to himself, he suddenly remembers Jinx who he had laid down earlier. His eyes dart around looking for a sign of the sorceress but sees that she was already gone. "Robin, did you see J...anyone here when you woke up?"

"No. We were the only ones here. Why?"

"Nothing. Must have been my imagination then," he answers.

Robin opens his mouth to ask more but is grabbed by Starfire who whirls him around like a toy.

"How glorious! We are all back!" she cheerfully sings-songs, completely oblivious of the fact that Robin had fainted from the g-forces of her turning.

Wondering if he should tell the Tamaranian of Robin's condition, he decides that he should just let the girl have her fun. Feeling his whole body ache from the injuries he gave himself, he gives a groan as the day's events finally take their toll. "Looks like I really did a number on myself," Raziel says out loud, not quite realizing Starfire was within earshot.

"What? You are still injured Raziel?"

_'Oh no...'_

T-T-T

Getting up to his feet, the Puppet King looks around at the twisted surroundings that was once the warehouse he fought the Titans in. Kneeling before some unseen entity, he bows his head as a deep voice speaks loudly.

**"(So, my _good_ servant. You have failed.") **The voice seemed to rumble from everywhere and nowhere, irritation clearly heard as it spoke.

"It wasn't my fault, master. This...demon interfered..."

**"(Explain.)" **

As the Puppet King tried to recap all that happened that night, one could almost sense the curiosity emanating from the presence. The Puppet King continued in his story, describing as best he could everything that happened up until the control rod was shattered and he lost his hold on the physical realm. "Master, send me back. I'll can still get you the souls you require..."

**"(Enough! You have served you purpose.)"** the voice commands, the Puppet King screaming as he disappeared for parts unknown. Now 'alone', the voice rumbles with rage as the place trembles with his voice. **"(Once again I am prevented from fulfilling the cycle. If it were not for the fact that something is blocking by presence in this realm I would take care of the interloper myself. No matter, in time the Wheel will turn.)" **

Elsewhere:

"This is not good," the figure speaks as she opens her eyes, squinting as the sun peaks through the leafy branches of the tree she lay under. "Events are moving too quickly and I am limited in what I can do." Sighing as she gets back on her feet, she looks towards the sky, eyes seemingly focused on some distant object. "I pray he will be ready when the time comes." With that, she disappears in a swirl of snow-white feathers, the only indication she was ever there were the footprints where she stood.

-To be continued-

Notes:

(1) Just something I remembered from TV. Somehow it felt right to use it here.

(2) Don't know if 'grebnacs' actually means those but I think so (Not that I'd ever grab her grebnacs, nope, not me... ;;; )

(3) I have NO idea what you call that 'thing' used to control puppets

Omake 1:

Looking at who tossed the teen, he sees a ghoulish figure slowly approaching him, a promise of pain in its glowing eyes. "Who...what _are_ you?" he stammers, his whole body quivering with fear all of a sudden.

Raziel picks up the puppet by his collar and glares at him with a look that could have frozen over hell. With his cowl flapping in the wind and eyes glowing brightly he answers the question.

"I'm Batman."

(I couldn't resist)

Omake 2:

Allowing her friend to let out her emotions for once, she looks around to be sure that there was no sign of the possessed Titans. "Perhaps...it is time we do get to know one another," she says out loud.

Raven, who more or less had gotten a handle on her emotions again, wipes her eyes as she gives Starfire a small nod. "You're right. If we're going to save the boys, we need to understand each other."

"Then I believe I will start," Starfire replies, slowly approaching Raven.

"Umm, Starfire, what are you doing?" Raven asks hesitantly as she sees a certain look in 'her' eyes.

"Why, I'm getting to know you better," she answers huskily, not noticing Raven's now panicked expression.

"Eeep."

Omake 2.5:

Unable to find the two girls, the Puppet King worriedly heads back to his 'hideout,' unsure of how his master would react to his failure. As he approaches the warehouse, a girl leaps out from the shadows and grabs his legs. Surprised, he whips out the control rod and points it at the person but is surprised to see 'Starfire,' her hair in disarray and dressed only in her underwear.

"Please! Put me in a doll! Make me a zombie! Anything! I don't care! Just keep me away from _her_!" she yells, eyes frantically darting around as they search for some unknown thing.

"Oh Raaaaaven," a voice sing-songs from the distance. "Where are you?"

"AIIIIEEEE!" The girl runs off, a trail of dust in her wake leaving the Puppet King alone with his thoughts.

"What the hell just happened?"

Omake 3:

'Raziel's' opponent stood several feet in front of an unconscious Jinx which caused her to worry. _'The HIVE? Here? This isn't good.'_ They were barely holding their own against their teammates. She knew they wouldn't be able to handle the HIVE as well and if Jinx was here, tweedle-dee and tweedle dum wouldn't be far behind. Taking a closer look at the person standing over Jinx, she first expected it to be Mammoth or Gizmo but froze as soon as she got a good look at his appearance. Its body, for lack of a better term, looked bloated and grotesque; a light fur covering its entire body. The unnatural purple color also gave it an unearthly appearance the likes of which she had only seen in her dreams (or nightmares as the case may be). The huge jaws which could easily snap a man in two grinned evilly as it bore down on the gothic teen.

"Hyuk hyuk! I love you!" yelled the purple dinosaur as it proceeded to beat the stuffing out of the possessed teens.

Raven screamed as she shot up from her bead, her hair in disarray along with her room. Feeling a migraine coming on, she mentally reminds herself never again to let Starfire and Beastboy into the kitchen at the same time.

Omake 4:

"EEEK! Someone's claws are on my grebnacs!" yells a distinctly female voice.

Raziel, who recognized the voice and what the distinctively squishy 'grebnacs' were, immediately tried to dislodge himself from the girl but found himself further entangling themselves. "My...apologies, Star..." he begins, his voice trailing off as he got a clear view of her neck, the smooth skin somehow beckoning him closer.

"It...is all right, Raziel," she responds. "Do you wish to consummate our matrimony?"

That immediately shocked him out of whatever thoughts about her neck. "Excuse me? Matrimony?"

"Oh yes! It is written in the book of Tamaran law that in choosing a spouse, he must be able to grab onto the female's grebnacs and hold on for one minute. And you have passed all that!" she adds cheerily, treating Raziel to a patented Tamaranian Glomp™.

"..."

Omake 4.5

"Are you _quite_ done?" Raven adds coldly as she watches the two 'lovers' on the floor, her heart feeling quite shattered at that point.

"Oh Raven, I am so happy!" Starfire beams, picking up her new 'husband,' who seemed more catatonic than happy at the news. "Raziel was able to fulfill the Tamaranian matrimonial ceremony!"

"What, you mean this?" Raven snaps, grabbing Raziel's hands and placing them on her own 'grebnacs.' She smirks when she sees Starfire's eyes widen in shock at her actions, no longer caring about letting her emotions loose.

"Co-wife!" Starfire finally responds cheerily after about a minute.

Not quite the reaction she was expecting, Raven freezes on the spot, Raziel's hands still on her 'grebnacs.'

Raziel, who's brain had shut down earlier, now had a trickle of blood running down his nose.

Elsewhere, a pink-haired girl suddenly got the feeling she was missing out on something but couldn't quite determine what.

Moral of the story: Life is like a pair of grebnacs. If you grab it, they will come.

Not quite Omake 5:

"Lights out!" yells a voice over the PA system as students rush back to their quarters.

_'Stupid curfew,'_ the girl thinks as she takes off her clothes and puts on her nightgown. _'If it wasn't for that I could have stayed longer,_' she grumbles, feeling somewhat miserable at her horrible luck. She even got scolded for coming back without any worthwhile results. _'Well, at least to the headmistress it isn't worthwhile,_' she thinks to herself. Picking up her little souvenir from her night on the town, she heads to her bed, passing her room mate who was watching her as she got into bed. Turning off her night light, her room mate gives her a weird look as she notices the object in her arms.

"What an ugly doll! What garbage dump did you get that from? That's like, 'ewww,' with a capital 'E.' Hahaha! Wait till I tell..." Her laugh is cut short as she and her bed suddenly fall through the floor, her roommate staring down the hole with feigned interest.

The room now silent, Jinx plops down on her bed and hugs the little blue marionette close to her chest, a genuine smile on her face as she closes her eyes for the night.

T-T-T

Well, finally got the chapter out. Can't wait to get started on the next one Thanks to everyone for their patience. I hope you all had fun reading it as I did writing it. Feel free to review if you like J


	11. Sunken Secrets

**Souls Entwined**

Disclaimer: Teen Titans and Legacy of Kain belong to their respective owners. I don't make a penny off them and if I did, I'd be filthy rich. :p

**Sunken Secrets**

"Words"

'_Thoughts'_

" Radio chat "

'(Voices in Raven's head)'

"So let me get this straight, _he_," she began, almost hissing out the word, "said you were a vampire? And you believe him? Excuse me for not running around and screaming you but you hardly seem like a vampire to me," Raven comments dryly as she stared at the pale teen before her.

"I'd like nothing more than to believe you," he replies, pausing as he wasn't quite sure how to proceed. "Which is why I need you to look into my mind," Raziel adds, earning him a semi-incredulous look from the goth girl which turns to a slight smile. "What?"

"I can't count the number of times you said I should 'look into your mind'. Something always manages to take priority over it," she drones. Her face becomes absolutely serious as the moment passes, staring deep into the teen's eyes. "I don't like poking at people's heads. I'm only doing this because Robin asked me to and he seemed to have some misplaced trust in you when we first met."

"And you don't?" he asks, eyes seemingly smirking back at the girl.

"Not quite but you're getting there," Raven deadpans. "Took me months to get used to Beastboy so you're actually ahead in that department. So, are you sure about this? If I try to probe that deep I might see things you don't want me to."

Raziel nods, the silence reflecting his determination. "I need to know for sure." _'If I'm a threat,'_ he adds silently.

"All right," she answers, motioning him to move closer. "Close your eyes."

Closing his eyes, he feels Raven gently touch his temples. As he hears her exhale, he could also feel her heartbeat slow down as he feels her cloak suddenly wrap around him. _'What the?'_ Opening his eyes, he suddenly sees just infinite darkness. "Ok, this is new," he murmurs to himself. "Raven? Where are you?"

"Right here," the girl replies, grabbing on to the teen's arm. '(And she scores!)' several voices in her head cheer. _'Shut up!'_ she retorts silently, immediately releasing the arm and glad that he couldn't see her blush just then.

"I assume you have an explanation for," Raziel pauses as he gestures at the empty space around them with his free arm, "this?"

"We're looking for your soul." Knowing he was raising an eyebrow in question, she sighs as she places her hands on her hips in an uncharacteristically un-Raven fashion. "You wanted proof if we can trust you. This is the quickest way to find out."

"Well, it's certainly improved _my_ confidence in myself," Raziel answers sarcastically. "I always knew there was a reason I liked black."

"One more snide remark like that and you'll see what else will be black. You're the one who asked for help, so be patient!" Reaching out with her senses, she tries to find the one thing they came to this place to find. All her instincts were telling her they were in the right place and her senses confirmed that but no trace of the elusive soul seemed to be in sight. "This...can't be right..." she murmurs out loud.

"You can't find it, can you?" he sighs, as if expecting the result. "So...how do we go about this? Stake through the heart? Holy water?" he jokes.

"Don't even think that!" she snaps, her eyes suddenly glowing red briefly. "Look, Raziel. I'm the daughter of a demon. I'm as 'evil' as they get so do you think I need to die as well?" A few moments of silence pass between the two as Raven scowls at the boy. "Things aren't always so black and white, Raziel."

"Because sometimes, there is a third option," Raziel whispers, a memory coming to the surface.

"What did you say?" she asks, not quite understanding what Raziel meant by that statement. Her answer comes in the form of a bright light just behind her.

"Sorry, I was...distracted. I was thinking that maybe if you were going to scold me for my poor taste in humor you should at least face the direction I was in," he retorts dryly, the coil of energy entwined around his right arm dispelling the darkness.

Raven glowers at the boy, a faint blush on her cheeks at failing to realize he had gotten behind her. Opening her mouth to retort, she blinks as she begins to sense something coming from Raziel, or more precisely his arm. A theory pops into her head as she points at the glowing tendril. "Raziel, can you bring out your sword?" she asks.

Raising an eyebrow at the request, he shrugs and summons his ethereal weapon, the light from the blade dispelling the dark area around them.

As the spectral blade materializes, her eyes widen excitedly as it transforms from its usual form into a bright glowing globe, hovering in front of the two teens.

"What the?" Raziel blurts out at the sudden change in the Reaver. He motions to dispel it but Raven's hand on his own stops him.

"That's your soul. That's why we couldn't find it 'here' because it's always been bound to you from the start." As her elation at finding it subsides, she couldn't help but admire the beauty of the soul. It was her true first encounter with a soul and she was quite pleased (or as pleased as she would allow herself) at her accomplishment.

'_The soul is the sum of a being's entire existence. The entire essence a person can be divined by studying their soul,'_ her master on Azarath had once told her. One of the teachings which came to mind was that the more it experienced, the greater the size. Raziel's soul seemed more than unusually large for someone his age. For it to be as big as she saw it now, he would have to have lived several hundred lifetimes and that was nearly impossible, except by the oldest and most powerful of the Azarathian mages and even then that was only hearsay. Reaching out with her senses, she tried to find any hint that Raziel was in any way a danger to them. Her eyes widen slightly in surprise. There was a trace of darkness which seemed to be hidden deep down but nothing which would classify Raziel as 'evil' nor was he in any sense 'good.' Still, feeling that it was better to be safe than sorry, she reaches out to touch the glowing orb but as soon as she touches it Raziel disappeared, the entire place turns snow white except for the infinite field of flowers she was now standing in. For some reason, she felt uncomfortable, as if her body was repulsed by the place. Looking around, all she could see were the flowers and the vast 'whiteness' around her but nothing which could explain her uneasiness. Then _it_ manifested itself. Whirling around, she catches a glimpse of a girl in a snow white dress standing in the distance. She tries to call out to her but suddenly feels herself ejected from the plane. As everything starts to go black, she could have sworn she saw the girl point at her just moments before she was forcibly removed.

"Raven? Wake up," Raziel says as he gently shakes the goth girl.

"What...what happened?"

"You tell me," he replies. "One minute you were saying my soul was the Reaver, the next you zone out and we're back here in the Tower."

"We never actually left the tower," Raven responds in a slightly annoyed tone. "But to answer your earlier question, I couldn't find anything other than your memories since joining with us. But I _did_ find out was that you're anything _but_ evil incarnate so stop stressing yourself out over it." Raziel seemed to visibly relax at that comment but Raven still felt as if she had forgotten something, knitting her brow in deep thought for several moments which caused Raziel to give her a slight bop on the head. "_What_ did you do that for?" she retorts angrily as she glares at the boy.

"You zoned out again for a while there. I've been trying to tell you Robin just called and said to meet in the hanger," Raziel answers.

"You could have done something else to get my attention, you know," Raven counters as the two leave the hall.

T-T-T

"This...is not good," Raziel states monotonously as he stares at Cyborg's latest creation.

"Aww, c'mon, Raz. It's beautiful!" the cybernetic teen replies gleefully as he pats the hull of the T-sub. "Capable of underwater speeds of 100 knots, a hull that can withstand depths far deeper than any other sub on the planet..."

"And only 5 seats. I suppose I _could_ hold my breath while I cling to the hull," Raziel interjects sarcastically.

"He's got a point, Cyborg," Raven adds in her usual monotone.

"..."

"We don't have time to debate this," Robin interjects. "Sorry Raz."

Raziel gives a puzzled expression as he tries to understand Robin's look. A few minutes later he is scowling as he clings on for dear life on the hull of the T-sub as it cuts through the ocean. _'I'm going to kill you,' _he mouths at the boy wonder's cockpit.

Said boy wonder was suppressing an evil grin as he gives a nonchalant shrug. _'That'll teach you try to corrupt Star into a ménage à trois.'_

" Don't worry, man. I'll modify the T-sub so that you can ride as well, " Cyborg says through the Titan comm. units. " You know, I think Rae's cockpit has a bit more room than the others. You could have ridden with her. I'm pretty sure you two know all about fitting in tight spaces, " he adds with a grin on his face.

" You're not going to let me forget about _that_, are you? " Raziel sighs, referring to that incident with Raven and Starfire.

" Nope. "

" Then next time you'd better be sure Raven didn't hear you, " Raziel smirks, pointing at the now fuming girl who was giving Cyborg a death glare.

Switching channels to only Cyborg, her eyes flash red briefly as she stares at the cybernetic teen. " Do you remember what I did to Doctor Light? " she whispers through the headset causing Cyborg to go deathly pale.

" Errr...prepare to dive, " Cyborg stutters, as he tries to avoid the half-demon's glare. " Raz, your diving gear secure? "

Securing the suit's faceplate, Raziel gives Cyborg a thumbs up symbol which prompted him to begin the diving. As the sub sinks beneath the waves, Raziel couldn't help but feel somewhat anxious about being submerged underwater. Sure, Cyborg had confirmed that he had a good deal of oxygen strapped to his back but he still had this nagging feeling about being surrounded by so much water.

" We're nearing the location where the barge sank. How's the suit holding up? "

" Aside from my ears popping, I think you built quite the diving suit, " Raziel answers as the sub continued it's dive. The suit seemed to be able to stand up to the pressures much better than he had anticipated.

" Yeah, yeah, enough with the suit. Time for the main star of the show to strut his stuff, " Beastboy interjects as he cracks his knuckles in anticipation.

" Hey! Don't you go dissin' the suit! " Cyborg retorts. No one insulted his babies.

" Don't get me wrong Cy, but even if Raz can now breath underwater, I seriously doubt he turn into any kind of fish much less swim as good as I can, " the green boy says while pointing at the bulky suit that Raziel wore.

The suit itself seemed like a metal ball with arms and legs more than an actual diving suit which caused Raziel grief to no end as he recalls what had happened earlier before they launched.

-30 Minutes earlier-

"_That's the suit?" Raven asks as she watches Raziel waddle across the room._

"_Yup. I call it the 'Deep Submersible Human Interface Tool,'" Cyborg gloats._

'_Deep S.H.I.T. is right,'_ _Raziel grumbles as he hears Beastboy struggling to contain his laughter. However, he notices Raven's curious expression as she eyed him. The stare was starting to make him feel self conscious as she started to approach him. "Wh...what?" he asks hotly, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks._

_The stoic expression still on her face, she taps the suit which causes Raziel to tip over and roll towards the other end of the room._

"_I think it needs some work," she finally remarks in all seriousness._

_Raziel glares at her but stops as he sees a small smile on Raven's face; Not one of her usual smirks or haughty grins but a genuine smile. Unless one was actively staring at her face one wouldn't have noticed it. Deciding that he wouldn't berate her 'this' time, he waves one of the suit's arms in an effort to call attention. "Will someone help me up now?"_

-Back to the present-

" He's right, Cyborg, " Robin adds, interrupting Raziel's trip down memory lane. " Beastboy's skills are crucial to us finding out what this Trident guy is up to. "

Grinning back childishly at Cyborg, Beastboy takes off the headset as he prepares to head out to the ocean depths. " Well, wish me luck, not that I'm gonna need it. Try not to be too jealous. "

Raven watches from her seat as Beastboy disappears from his cockpit and a huge green humpback whale appears beside the sub and winks at her, her blood pressure rising at the blatantly obvious attempt to flirt with her. " He just gained three hundred thousand pounds. I am _sooo_ jealous, " she deadpans, which unfortunately for her the neo-whale fails to hear.

As the team continues its dive towards the ship, Beastboy shifts into a shark for the added maneuverability as he darts in and out of the multiple holes the ship had. As he continued his search, the T-sub circled around the wreck scanning for anything that the green teen may have missed. Raziel, in the mean time, had jumped off the sub to get a closer look at the scars the ship bore, signs of the attack which had taken it to a wet grave. Running a gloved hand over the hole, even _he_ could tell whatever did this packed serious firepower. As he takes a peek inside the hull, Beastboy suddenly darts out as if his tail were on fire.

" Looks like BB found something, " Cyborg says over the radio. " Get on, Raz! "

Grabbing a hold of the sub, Raziel hangs on as they try to keep up with their green companion. It was pretty obvious though that Cyborg's 'high-tech' machine couldn't keep up with natural evolution. _'Where _is _he?'_ Raziel wonders, trying to spot Beastboy and whatever he was following. He was so preoccupied with looking ahead that he failed to notice the presence which had suddenly made itself known behind him. A powerful beam announced its presence as it hit the T-sub, the explosion knocking Raziel off his mount and down to the ocean floor.

"Raziel!" Raven yells out as she watches him fall. "We have to go back!"

"Don't you think I want to do the same thing?" Robin retorts as another blast rocks the sub. "Cyborg, bring us about! We can't do a thing while Trident keeps blasting us! Raven, Star, do you see where he's attacking from?"

Scanning the area, she sees a dark form swim past, a gleaming trident in its hands as it fires a beam at the sub. "Here!" Raven replies to Robin.

"No, over here!" Starfire counters as she spots the same figure attacking from her side.

"How can he be in three places at once?"

T-T-T

Raziel twisted in the water as he tried to control his fall. The suit didn't help much either as its bulk prevented him from his normal range of movement. _'Blast it, I need to get back!'_ he thinks angrily as he sees in the distance each explosion which rocked the T-sub; the fact that the group communicator was still on added to his feeling of helplessness as he heard the panicked voices of his team mates. Finally landing on the ocean floor, he struggles to get on his feet but the way the suit was designed left him no better than a turtle on its back. Grunting in frustration, his eyes widen as he starts to hear his Cyborg's worried voice.

" Hull's cracked. We're leaking air. "

" Take us up, Cy! " Robin orders.

" No can do. Whoever this Trident is, he's thorough. Hydro jets aren't responding and ballasts aren't working either! We're sinking fast! "

" Great. Tell me something I don't know, " the boy wonder fumes.

" Ok. We're all going to die a horrible death by drowning, " Raven deadpans.

" No! I am too young to drown! " Starfire wails.

Something inside Raziel snaps as he lets out a primal scream and grabs the outer skin of the suit, metal groaning in protest as his vampiric strength bursts forth.

T-T-T

Raven looked at the rising water around her ankles. As much fate as she had in Cyborg's technology, it simply couldn't stand up to the constant attacks that Trident threw at them. "Azarath, Metrion..." she starts to chant, hoping she was strong enough to lift them to the surface before they either drowned or the sub crumpled around them.

However, the shadowy form of Trident appears right beside her cockpit, his weapon shattering the glass separating her from the Pacific Ocean. The sudden rush of water breaks her concentration as it slams into her. Unable to breath and thus unable to chant her spells, she struggled to pull off her seatbelts but the mechanism had jammed somehow. Eyes blurry from the salt water, she could barely make out Trident grinning evilly at her impending demise. As if destiny had other plans for her, a second figure zooms out of nowhere and slams into the villain, knocking him away with the force of a freight train. Trying to make out who her savior was, she couldn't make out its face but the deep red cowl it was wearing left no question on his identity. _'Raziel.'_

Swimming after the figure with a speed that would have made Beastboy proud, Raziel proceeds to land powerful punches on its head and body, finishing up with a spinning kick which was all but impossible underwater. Watching the figure sail away from his attack, he looks back at the T-sub and sees a huge amount of bubbles escaping the vessel as it sank towards a ravine. Pulling forth every ounce of energy, he shoots towards the sub faster than humanly possible. As he finally catches up to the T-sub, a cold chill runs down his spine at the sight before him.

Raven felt herself beginning to black out; as well trained as she was she couldn't hold her breath any longer as her body screamed for oxygen. _'What is this, 'kill Raven' month?'_ she thinks mirthlessly as her mouth opened of its own volition, releasing her last breath to the ocean. As her vision started to darken, Raven suddenly felt a pair of lips press against her own. Eyes widening in shock, that shock increased as she discovered the owner of said lips.

Her first thoughts were to kill or at the very least maim the person who dared to kiss her but then she suddenly felt him forcing air into her lungs. Her body eagerly gulping in what it could, she feels a strange sensation of disappointment as the 'kiss' ends almost as suddenly as it had begun. Idly touching her lips, she could almost see Raziel's shoulders sag with relief; the thought of someone worried for _her_ wellbeing made her feel...fuzzy. She didn't do fuzzy. Ever. That train of thought is shattered as she sees the cliff face rushing to greet them. Raziel seemed puzzled at her frantic expression so taking matters into her own hands she grabs his head and twists it around.

Seeing yet another 'impending doom' situation, Raziel climbs into the cockpit with Raven, using his body to shield her as much as he could, much to Raven's discomfort. A few seconds later the sub slams into the cliff, metal shearing off the hull while various shrapnel embedded themselves in Raziel's back. He winces in pain but quickly squashes down the feeling as the sub continued to tear into the cliff.

Just when it looked like the vibrations would shake the sub apart, Cyborg manages to steer them out of the cliff face. Still, it didn't help their current sinking predicament. As if in answer to their prayers (or at least to those who prayed), two huge whales suddenly appear alongside the damaged sub and lift it out of its deadly dive. At first he thought they were saved but soon the whales started taking them deeper into the ravine. Looking back at Raven, he notices her struggling to remain conscious, small bubbles of air escaping from her lips. Reflexively, he moved forward to try to give whatever he had left in his lungs to the half-demon but it seemed the whales had other ideas as they suddenly pushed the T-sub through a small hole into a pocket of air.

As soon as she felt the water recede Raven took in huge gulps of air, coughing up the small bit of water she had swallowed earlier. Looking at Raziel, she felt herself blush as she remembered his actions while they were sinking. That, and the fact he was still crammed into the cockpit with her with his face uncomfortably close to hers.

"Raven! Are you...?" Cyborg pauses in his question as he opened his own cockpit to check on their team member. He saw how the glass had shattered from Trident's attack and was worried for her well-being. However, from the looks of things it appeared Raziel had protected Raven as the two looked to be alive, albeit waterlogged. How Raziel had done it, he would have to ask later but the situation called for the 'Cy' touch right now. "Good work, Raz," Cyborg says to the teen who nods in reply. "But you know I was joking about you and Raven sharing the cockpit, right?" he jibes playfully.

The two teens glare at their cybernetic companion, the jibe shaking them both out of their mutual catatonic stares. Raven starts to get off the sub, not willing to stay in her waterlogged cockpit but Raziel simply stayed put in his spot. "Raziel, are..." she begins to ask. As much as she reigned in her emotions, it wasn't beyond her to show concern for a team mate. '_Yes, that was it_,' she thought.

"I'm fine," the goth teen interrupts, waving her off with one hand. "I just need to catch my breath," he lies.

"If you say so," Raven answers hesitantly, her empathic senses telling her something was off. Still, the cave itself was something which caught her attention. Of course, she wouldn't admit it out loud but the cave _was_ beautiful.

"Where are we?" the boy wonder muses out loud, interrupting her train of thought.

"You're in my place," a voice speaks up.

The teens turn towards the source of the voice and see a teen rise up out of the waters, apparently lifted by one of the whales that had 'rescued' them earlier.

"I told the whales to bring you here," he adds as he walks up to the teens, confidence apparent in every stride.

"Umm, th...thanks," Raven stutters suddenly, a blush coming to her cheeks which didn't go unnoticed by Raziel.

"Oh yes! Truly, truly, thank you so much for saving us," Starfire pipes up, a similar blush highlighting her exotic features.

"That 'rescue' could have come sooner, you know," Raziel interjects as he glares at the teen. _'Awfully convenient of you to appear on short notice,'_ he silently grumbles.

"Rescue? I was_ gonna _rescue you guys if it hadn't been for pretty boy here," Beastboy gripes as he steps out of the water dripping wet.

"Sorry, the name's not 'pretty boy'. It's Aqualad. I didn't introduce myself earlier because we Atlanteans like to keep a low profile."

"Riiight. I can tell no one really noticed you ," Raziel deadpans, trying desperately to ignore the lovesick look Raven and Starfire were throwing the Atlantean. _'Irritating mortal,' _he grumbles to himself, not noticing the word he used.

"Wait? You're from _Atlantis_? As in, 'THE' _Atlantis?_" Raven pipes up, forgetting her earlier reaction. "I thought Aquaman was the only one who ever left Atlantis?" If there was one thing that got Raven's attention, it was dead and/or ancient societies and it didn't get much deader or ancient than Atlantis, at least as far as earth lore was concerned.

"Well, Aquaman can't patrol _all_ oceans _all_ the time," Aqualad answers matter-of-factly. "But that's besides the point. We apparently have a mutual problem in the form of Trident."

As Aqualad proceeded to give the rundown on their target, Raziel started to lean against the cave wall as blood continued to pour from the wounds which dotted his back. He gave a mirthless smirk when Aqualad offered to help as Beastboy argued as to who would chase after the rogue Atlantean. Suddenly, he feels a strange power permeate the area. It felt familiar yet something about it set off his senses like nothing he had ever felt before. Whatever it was, he felt that it was a greater danger than Trident posed and needed to be addressed. The most disturbing thing about it was it seemed to call to him almost hypnotically. Debating whether to listen warning signs his body was giving him or follow his 'instincts', he finally decides to pick himself up and heads to the cave exit. "If you two prima donnas are done, I'd like to track down the one who..." Raziel pauses, giving a brief glance to Raven before continuing. "...who stole the toxic waste some time this century," he snaps before diving into the waters, leaving the two bickering teens with blank stares.

"Dude, I think we just got _pwned_," Beastboy says to the teen in blue tights, not quite used to the sudden outburst from the normally stoic teen. "Hey! This is _my_ mission!" he realizes suddenly before jumping in after Raziel.

Aqualad had a look of confusion on his face as he pondered Beastboy's words. _'Pwned? What's that? Honestly, surface dwellers and their quirks.'_ "Tramp, are you here?" he calls out. Almost immediately an unusual biped pops out from below the ground and starts chattering in an unknown language. Replying to the creature in the same language, the creature gives Aqualad a quick salute and heads off to the wrecked T-sub, pulling out various wires and parts much to the dismay of Cyborg.

"Hey! What's he doing to my baby?" Cyborg cries out as he runs to his machine.

"Don't worry. He's Tramp. He's really good with tools." With that, the young Atlantean jumps into the waters to chase his two 'partners' even as Cyborg wailed while his sub was systematically disassembled.

"Aww, man, not the seismic blasters!"

The remaining Titans look at the ripples in the water, each having different thoughts at their current situation.

"Can Raziel breath underwater?" Starfire asks in all curiosity.

"When vampires grow gills," Raven deadpans, the private joke lost on the Tamaranian.

'_I hope Raziel is ok,'_ Starfire thinks worriedly as she wonders how long he could hold his breath. _'Wasn't the earth expression 'when pigs fly'?'_ she muses.

'_Raziel and I are going to have a long conversation when this is over about acting as a team,'_ Robin grumbles, not quite used to sitting out a mission. Unfortunately, no one except Beastboy could follow Trident with the T-sub doing a remarkable impression of swiss cheese.

Raven simply stared at where the others dove, not quite sure why Raziel was acting the way that he did. Putting it down to his usual (or unusual) personality, she sighs and walks to a corner to meditate; after all she had nothing better to do. Also, for all of her and Raziel's quirks, neither of them were particularly suicidal so she didn't really worry about his lack of underwater breathing skills. As she sits down, her hand touches something wet, warm and sticky. "Ick, what's this?" she says out loud. Rubbing her fingers together, she couldn't quite make out what it was due to the dim lighting conditions in the underwater cave but then a familiar scent makes its way to her nose which causes her eyes to widen in shock.

'_Blood.'_ And right there, she suddenly remembered the sudden wince of pain Raziel had when he was shielding her just minutes before. _'That idiot!' _ she growls to herself as she makes a mad dash for the pool of water. Chanting her usual words, a black sphere of energy wraps itself around her as she jumps into the waters.

Starfire looks curiously at the retreating sphere before turning to Robin who was now rubbing his head, the beginnings of a migraine making itself known.

"No, Star, Raven can't breath underwater either."

T-T-T

Raziel grits his teeth in pain as the seawater burned his wounds. However, thinking about the way Raven looked at that...mortal...allowed him to ignore his body's warnings. Looking behind him, he saw that Aqualad and Beastboy had already caught up with him, waving their arms (or in Beastboy's case, flippers) around in apparent conversation with some dolphins. Smirking at how idiotic it looked, he swims off towards the source of power he had sensed earlier, his body cutting through the water like he had been swimming all his life which puzzled Raziel to some extent. Still, all his swimming talents were useless given that he still had a limited lung capacity. Also, he had been exerting himself for quite a bit so he felt his lungs burn as they screamed for oxygen but he still couldn't locate that damnable power source. As if to answer his question, he suddenly comes across an underwater cave entrance which seemed a little too perfect for it to be natural. Since it was either drown out here or take the risk inside the cave, he opted for the latter and shot forward into the darkness. The darkness proved to be quite short as he immediately came into contact with a pocket of air; an unnatural glow breaking the murky depth surrounding him.

Breaking through the surface of the water, Raziel immediately takes huge gulps of air, not really caring if it was breathable or not. _'I'll worry about that later,'_ he thinks as he observed his surroundings. _'Great. Another cave,'_ he grumbles to himself, having had enough of caves for a while. His senses, however, told him he was at least closer to whatever it was he had felt earlier. Climbing out of the water, he begins to feel light headed as he wobbles slightly, the blood loss finally taking its toll on his body. Something inside him however, told him he needed to pushes onward as he took slow but determined steps forward, the occasional sound of dripping water in the deafening silence the only indication he was still alive. Following the twisting path, he finally comes across a huge dark chamber which was definitely not carved by nature. Running his hand along the walls, he could feel the smoothness which hinted at something deeper. _'This...feels familiar,'_ Raziel thinks to himself as he feels subtle impressions on the walls.

Exploring the huge chamber, he was surprised to find that everything about it seemed unnatural, almost as if it was man-made. Raising his arm, he summons forth the Reaver which illuminated a good portion of the area. Now that he got a better view of the area, he knew that his assumptions were true. From its appearance, he surmised that it had been long abandoned for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years by whoever their makers were and whatever purpose they served was up to speculation. _'No human could have shaped this place,_' he thought briefly, noticing some intricate patterns in the ceiling above. Perhaps this place had never even been seen by human eyes. _'Raven would have a field day with this,_' he muses to himself. His thoughts are interrupted as his knees suddenly give beneath him.

'_My injuries must be worse than I thought,'_ Raziel supposed, surprised he was relatively lucid given the amount of blood loss. Sensing that same power suddenly flare again, he forces himself to his feet in an attempt to drag himself towards the source. However, in his weakened state, the sudden movement caused the whole world to start spinning. His vision going black, Raziel collapsed bonelessly to the floor, the familiar displacement he had felt before in the tower making itself known as he felt his consciousness slip away. Strangely enough, he thought he could hear someone yell out his name.

T-T-T

Levitating herself out of the water, Raven dispels the bubble of energy which surrounded her, taking in deep breaths as she looked around the cavern. _'At least the air isn't as stale as I thought,'_ she muses, the air she had in the bubble earlier having been more stale. Not quite able to see in the dark as clearly as Raziel, she hesitantly feels her way around until she finally discovers a path in the darkness. 'Seeing' that it was the only path available to her, she levitates forward in search of the wayward teen.

Finally reaching the end of the long path, her eyes widen in surprise at the huge chamber before her. Never in her life had she heard of an underwater chamber this well preserved. It definitely wasn't natural, given the smoothness of the floors and walls; it all seemed too regular to be so. _'Enough, Raven,'_ she chastises herself, reigning in her emotions once more. _'Find Raziel first, _then_ admire the scenery.'_

Given that the chamber itself seemed to be enclosed, she was sure that she would be able to sense her teammate's unique energy. Extending her senses, a chill runs down her spine as she finds Raziel but his life force was extremely faint. Running in his general direction, her foot catches on an object which causes her to fall flat, scraping her knees in the process.

Hissing in irritation more than pain, Raven looks at the object which tripped her and nearly slaps herself in disgust. Sprawled out on the cool marble floor was Raziel. How she could have missed him, she had no idea but now wasn't the time for idle thoughts. "Raziel!" she calls out, placing a hand on his back as she tries to shake him awake. However, as her hand touches his back she feels the same sticky substance she had felt back in the other cave. Suppressing the sinking feeling she was feeling in the pit of her stomach, she calls forth her power, letting the glow from her eyes dispel some of the darkness. What she saw would have caused her to lose her lunch had she not already been exposed to so much bloodshed before.

All across Raziel's back were huge chunks of rock and steel jutting out, some of which were as large as her hand. The wounds were still bleeding profusely which caused her to wonder how the teen was still alive after so much blood loss.

"We need to get these out," she states monotonously, more to herself than to the unconscious boy before her as she tried to hide the trepidation in her voice. _'Control, Raven,' _she tells herself even as the severity of the injuries disturbed her. _'You need to remain calm and focused.'_ "This will hurt, Raziel" she whispers, focusing her power around the shards and trying to make the separation process as clean as possible. Chanting her trademark chant, the shards immediately fly out of his body, a small splatter of blood splashing on her which causes her to flinch slightly. Examining his back and giving a relieved sigh that she hadn't left any 'stone unturned' so to speak, she proceeded about healing the goth teen when she made one grave observation.

He had stopped breathing.

T-T-T

As the displacement sensation ended, Raziel found himself quite lucid and surprisingly uninjured albeit lying facedown on the cold marble. Looking around, the cave was no longer as dark as it was but seemed to have an unearthly shade of green. Curiously, unlike the tower, there were several glowing spheres of energy which seemed to hover around the area but they held little interest for him. What did catch his attention was the fact that _now_ he could more or less make out the engravings on the chamber walls. From the look of things there had once been fairly large images but many of them had become faded over time. One of them, however, nearly caused him to gasp in surprise.

Depicted on the wall was a faded image of a warrior. The details of the person had long been lost to time but what caught his attention the most was the weapon the figure wielded. It, like the rest of the wall, had been ravaged by time but the engraving was unmistakable. The weapon the warrior wielded bore an uncanny resemblance to the Reaver he wielded. He is shaken out of his shock, however as a deep voice suddenly starts speaking.

"**Welcome, warrior,"** the voice rumbles, seemingly coming from everywhere.

"Who's there?" Raziel snaps, the Reaver materializing in his right hand as he searches the chamber for the source of the voice. Much to his irritation, the voice suddenly begins chuckling.

"**Fear not, little soul. I mean you no harm,"** the voice answers almost condescendingly.

"Forgive me, but I tend to mistrust things that I can't see," Raziel retorts, his senses on alert trying to find where the voice was coming from.

"**Unfortunately, I am little more than a shade,"** it responds solemnly. **"Nothing more but a remnant of a people long gone from the mortal world. I could do you no harm more than you could a living being. Still, it _has_ been ages since someone has visited this place."**

Raziel relaxed his guard slightly, not quite taking the voice's statement at face value. Still, something about its answer disturbed him. "What do you mean 'little soul'? Where am I?" The voice gives another chuckle, Raziel bristling slightly at being treated like a child.

"**You are still where you were, little soul. Only that now you are dead."**

T-T-T

"Breathe, damn it, _breathe_!" Raven hisses, her emotions seeping through as she forced her power into Raziel's heart at regular intervals in a vain attempt to restart it. She had healed all the exterior wounds she found but the teen still lay unmoving on the ground despite all she did. "Damn it, Raziel, if you die on me so help Azar I am going to find some way to resurrect you so I can kill you myself!" After several more 'jolts' to Raziel's heart, she realized that she would also have to do 'that' if she wanted him to survive. Blushing slightly, Raven looks at Raziel's pale face before taking a deep breath. _'You owe me big time, mister 'undead.''_

T-T-T

Raziel's knees suddenly buckle at the voice's statement. "D...dead?" He felt that he should be a bit more concerned at that realization but for some reason it didn't seem to hold as much apprehension as he thought.

"**Oh yes, I believe you mortals call it 'deader than a door nail,'"** the voice responds almost nonchalantly, interrupting whatever statement Raziel had. **"Eternity doesn't weigh as heavily as it used to, you know,"** the voice adds, seeing its guest suddenly go silent. **"In ancient times I watched over the people of this land before their fall from grace. I had even blessed them for a time before they stopped heeding my advice. Pity they are no longer among us."**

Raziel's ears perk at the voice's monologue, getting back to his feet as he calls to the voice. "You said you watched over them. I can't see any living thing in this realm. Can you show me what is happening right now?"

"**A very demanding soul, aren't you?" **the voice smirks. **"Very well. As you are the first visitor I've had in millennia, I will grant you this boon."** With that, a swirling portal appears in front of Raziel, startling the teen.

Raziel peers intently into the swirling mass, at first seeing nothing but soon a picture starts to form in the center. In it, he could make out a figure hunched over him but the details were still blurry so he couldn't quite make out the person. However, the familiar blue cloak gave him a good idea as to who it was.

As the picture began to clear, he could see Raven administering first aid to him, massaging his heart in an attempt to revive his body. Although he couldn't hear anything, he could see the girl's lips move as she 'spoke' to him. "Raven..." he whispers.

T-T-T

"Stupid (push) Raziel. Making me (push) do this," Raven rants monotonously, her heart not really into it as she normally was, granted she was trying to save the boy's life. As she continued to administer CPR, she started to hear a voice speaking in the distance, apparently approaching her location.

"Let those 'fakes' follow the interlopers. None shall stand in the way of my perfection!"

Raven's head jerks up immediately at that statement. She recalled Aqualad saying something about Trident being something of a narcissist and that statement seemed to indicate who the owner was. Her fears are realized as the said subject steps out of the shadows, a brief look of confusion on his face before transforming into sneer.

"Another one _dares_ to impede my way!" Trident snarls, leveling his weapon at the pale human before him. "No matter. You will die along with the rest of the filth!"

As Trident's trident begins to glow, Raven was suddenly stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Evade his blast and survive but let Raziel be struck (granted his was good as dead but a part of her refused to believe that) or shield Raziel and let herself be struck down. Logically looking at it, the choice was obvious but something stopped her.

'_But sometimes, there is a third option,'_ Raziel's words suddenly ring in her mind. Almost instantly, she felt Raziel's soul pulsating somewhere in the cavern. It was faint but it was there. "He's still alive," she whispers to herself. Right then and there she made her choice and with a resolve she didn't know she had launched herself at Trident.

Trident was mildly shocked that someone dared to attack him but quickly shook it off as he fired off a plasma bolt at the girl. The shock returned ten-fold as the girl waves her arm in front of her and stops the attack with a black wall of energy. Before he could fire off a second attack, a foot slams into his face, causing him to stagger slightly as the pain registered in his mind. "You're good, landling," he sneers, raising the trident at the human.

Raven's expression doesn't change as she stared at her opponent. She could feel Raziel's soul _somewhere _around her but she had no way of putting it back in his body while she fought mister high-and-mighty. _'I'll have to take him down as fast as I can,'_ she thinks silently to herself but the sudden grin (or was that a leer?) from Trident worried her. What he did next would only confirm her suspicions as her eyes widen in panic.

"But I'm better." Adjusting his aim slightly, he points the weapon at the prone figure behind the girl and fires.

T-T-T

Raziel could only watch helplessly as Raven battled Trident one-on-one. He knew she was more than a match for the girl but as Trident fired a blast at his body he saw Raven move to block the attack. He knew then that Trident was using him as a hostage, effectively stopping any counter-attack Raven could do. The game of hit-and-run continued to frustrate him as Raven easily blocked the attacks but he could tell she was tiring; cracks had started to appear in her shields whenever a blast was absorbed. His fist shaking in frustration, Raziel looks away from the scene, unable to bear what was happening.

"I need to get back to my body!" Raziel shouts out to the voice, a slight tinge of worry in it as he struggled to not look at the viewing portal.

"**That would not be possible. You have already passed from this world to the next and cannot return to whence you came. I no longer have the power to send you back..."**

Raziel could sense a 'but' hanging in that sentence as his eyes narrowed. "What do you need?"

"**In ancient times past I had an avatar, my 'Reaver of Justice' if you will," **the voice responds ominously. **"It was through him that I made my will known throughout the land."**

Raziel paused at that statement. Something about it seemed...off...but he couldn't quite place what. Deep in thought, his eyes wandered briefly to the scene in the portal before finally making his decision. "If I agree to be your avatar, can you send me back?" he asks.

"**This is...most unusual, young one. Do you really _wish_ to be my avatar? This is not an easy nor rewarding position."**

"I have made my choice," Raziel responds firmly, eyes reflecting the will behind it.

"**Then let _my_ will be done,"** the voice responds almost approvingly.

Raziel felt nothing out of the ordinary as the voice spoke which causes him to raise an eyebrow in question. "I don't..." Almost as if in response to his question an ethereal gas manifests itself on the marble floor. It seemed to call to him as it glowed brightly. Taking one last look at the viewing portal, he stands on the spot where the gas emanated, allowing himself to be drawn and visualizing himself projecting through. As he faded from the realm, the owner of the voice seemed to smirk as it watched its visitor return to the world of the living.

T-T-T

Raven was breathing heavily as she deflected another of Trident's attacks. _'Just how much power can that staff put out!'_ a part of her wanted to yell out. No weapon was limitless but no matter how many times Trident fired each attack didn't seem to vary in intensity. It didn't help that the energy seemed to be in complete opposite to her own powers, requiring her to put out more energy to block it than she would have to otherwise needed. As resilient as she knew Raziel's body to be, it simply went against her nature to allow anyone to be hurt if she could prevent it; she would have to continue acting as his shield. As another blast flies at her and Raziel, she raises her hands in defense as the bolt slams into her shields.

Her dark powers succeed in blocking the attack but wind up exhausting her reserves as the shield shatters spectacularly, the feedback knocking her to the floor. Glaring weakly at her opponent, she tries to get back to her feet but finds that her legs were barely responding.

"Do you at last you see the futility of your effort?" Trident sneers, seeing his opponent struggling just to stand. "None can stand against perfection!"

As the glow of the trident begins to glow brighter, Raven grits her teeth in frustration, unwilling to show any weakness before the 'thing' in front of her. The glow suddenly fades as Trident starts to grin evilly.

"No, this should not be," he monologues, a manic gleam in his eyes as he approaches the prone girl. "My perfection should be celebrated in blood!"

Raven watches in morbid horror as the trident is raised over her head but her body simply refused to move. Raising a feeble shield in an attempt to stave the inevitable, her eyes close involuntarily as she waits for the blow to strike. It never comes. Opening her eyes, she feels her heart nearly stop as she sees Raziel standing over her, the trident piercing through his right hand which had stopped the fatal blow.

"I see nothing perfect here," Raziel hisses through clenched teeth, ignoring the pain shooting through his arm as blood began to flow freely from the wound. "Only the ramblings of a madman."

"You...you dare!" Trident roars at the boy, firing his weapon while it was still embedded in his opponent's hand. Grinning evilly as the beam seemed to engulf the boy's hand, he starts to laugh out loud but stops mid-laugh at what he saw.

"I more than _dare_," Raziel growls, the Reaver coming to life even as the beam from the trident seemed to burn away at his hand.

Raven's eyes widen in shock as instead of a burned stump where Raziel's hand should be, the Reaver seemed to be feeding off the weapon's energies, the ethereal blade taking on a bright yellow hue from its normal color.

Trident was in a similar state as he watched his trademark weapon suddenly become ineffective. He is shaken out of his stupor as the boy yanks the trident from his hands, eyes glowing brightly at him with promises of pain.

As Raziel took the weapon out of Trident's hands, he forcefully rips the bladed edge out of his hand and tosses it aside, his eyes never leaving the villain. Blood still dripping from the open wound, he levels the Reaver at the Atlantean, the blade suddenly glowing brighter. "You _will_ not touch her." Swinging the newly imbued Reaver at the immobile Trident, it slashes into the creature, surprisingly _not_ cutting him in half but knocking him back into the tunnel from where he came.

Aiming the Reaver at the tunnel, a ball of energy pools at the tip of the blade before flying off towards its target, the resulting explosion collapsing the tunnel's mouth and blocking it with tons to debris. Exhausting suddenly overcoming him, the Reaver dissipates once more as Raziel collapses bonelessly to the floor, his fall halted as a pair of hands catch him. "Raven," he whispers tiredly.

"Hey," comes the monosyllabic reply, trying her best what she had done for the pale teen earlier which earns her a huff from one of the voices in her head. '(Wuss)'. "Welcome back from the dead."

Raziel opens his mouth to comment on his 'miraculous' recovery but decides against it, not quite sure how the goth half-breed would react; he was weird enough without adding some elder god or something to his list of 'wonderful abilities' which just kept popping up left and right. Instead he gives a mirthless chuckle which causes Raven to raise an eyebrow. "I just wanted to say thanks. Something tells me I should be thanking you."

Raven shifts slightly, letting the shade from her cowl cover her face as she felt herself flush. "Someone has to _try _to keep you out of trouble," she states dryly. "Didn't work, apparently. Robin is going to have a field day with you. He's a stickler for following orders."

"Then maybe a souvenir will calm him a bit," Raziel smirks, eyes looking towards the fallen weapon. "You know how he likes to collect."

Raven still couldn't believe how nonchalant Raziel seemed to be given that he was effectively dead for several minutes. Giving a loud sigh, she just shakes her head as she and Raziel slowly make their way out of the cavern.

T-T-T

Back at the cavern, the voice watched as the two teens left the cavern and returned to their companions.

"**And here I thought his kind had finally been eradicated," **the voice mused out loud. **"I suppose he could make a good _servant..._"**

"He is not yours, parasite," a soft-spoken voice responds suddenly. Materializing out of the shadows, a girl with long golden hair and a pristine white gown steps up to the center of the room; the temperature seemingly dropping a few degrees as she leveled a cold glare to the air.

"**I have heard of you, 'world walker,'" **the voice sneers."**You have no power here. I could easily destroy you on a whim."**

"As you did the last one who contested you? You aren't as omnipotent as you would have others believe," the girl counters. "Your hold on him, even now, is barely tenuous."

"**Such impudence from one so young," **the voice growls, the cavern seemingly rumbling with its anger.

"I merely speak the truth. It is you who speak with impudence at claiming to be the Alpha and Omega," the girl retorts, giving a hard look towards what appeared to be empty air. A few tense moments of silence pass before the voice finally speaks again.

"**Tread carefully, world walker. You do not know what powers you are dealing with."**

"We shall see," she responds, turning around and disappearing in a flash of light leaving snow white feathers in her wake which slowly fade away.

-To be continued-

Whew! Finally updated! Thanks to everyone and your patience for keeping the reviews coming. I know I should update more often but this chapter just really threw me for a loop. Next chapter is already in the works even as I write this part. All I can say is, I plan out _every_ chapter so that events I write remain consistent to the overall story so please be patient.

Omake:

"Raziel, can you bring out your sword?" she asks.

Raising an eyebrow at the request, he shrugs and takes off his pants, much to Raven's chagrin.

"NOT THAT SWORD!" she shouts back, her face suddenly as red as a tomato, yet not quite turning away from the scene.

"You should have been more specific."


	12. Broken

**Souls Entwined**

Disclaimer:

**Broken**

Raziel attempted to flex his right hand but flinches as a sharp pain shoots up his arm, causing him to involuntarily hiss in pain.

"Raziel, are you all right?" Starfire asks, floating next to the pale teen.

"I'm alright," he responds, giving the girl a weak smile as he relaxes his grip, the pain in his arm alleviating. He suddenly freezes up as a chill runs down his spine, a familiar presence suddenly appearing behind him.

"What did I say about resting that arm?" Raven huffs in her typical monotone. "I healed as much of it as I could but the type of energy Trident used in is weapon is something I can barely deal with. It's a wonder I was able to heal as much of your hand as I did. So if you _want_ to be able to fight again, I _suggest_ you follow my orders," she states dryly, approaching Raziel and fussing (or at least what passed for fussing for Raven) over the wound. "See? It's already started to bleed again."

Starfire watched the banter between the two goths with much interest. In all her time with the Titans, she'd never seen Raven open up as much as she did with another person. It made her feel somewhat jealous since she thought of Raven as her best girl friend. Still, it was good Raven was starting to act more open around them. _'Perhaps it would be time to invite her to do the 'hanging out' at the mall,'_ she thinks to herself. Her thoughts are interrupted as the doors to the common hall open, the de-facto leader of the Teen Titans stepping through with a slight scowl on his face.

"If we were in the military, I'd be putting you two in the brig for insubordination," Robin admonishes, looking at Raziel and Raven with narrowed eyes, much to the pale girl's chagrin. "However, Aqualad confirmed that there was a 'back door' to the cave where he could have escaped so I guess we owe you one as well," he adds with his usual smirk. "I'll look over this incident this time, but don't make a habit of it."

"I told you bringing the trident back was a good idea, Raven," Raziel says with an exaggerated whisper to his fellow goth, the girl giving a huff as she tries to hide herself within her cloak.

Robin looks somewhat nonplussed at Raziel's blatant admission of bribery but the cocky grin on the goth teen's face said volumes, Robin's expression relaxing and grinning back at Raziel. "Just don't expect a little trinket to get you out of trouble the next time, Raz." Robin smirks as the goth teen bristled at the nickname, glad he still had something to heckle him with from time to time.

"Speaking of trouble, has anyone seen Beastboy?" Raziel replies. "It's been awfully quiet for a bit."

"He and Cyborg went out to pick up pizza. They should be back any minute now," Robin answers, glancing at the wall clock briefly before plopping down in front of the TV.

"If you need me, I'll be in my room," Raven says, floating off down the hall and deciding to do something productive instead of mindless waiting. "And stay off that arm."

Raziel gives a lazy wave at the girl, taking a seat on the couch as well as he pondered his new 'relationship' with the voice from the underwater chamber. He hadn't heard anything from it since then but after coming back from the dead he knew that it would be collecting one day. After all, nothing came without a price in this world. Still, he was quite curious why Raven didn't grill him further about what had happened but decided that as long as the voice didn't do anything to affect the team he would keep quiet for now.

Starfire, on the other hand, had taken as spot between the two boys, having fun experiencing life as an earth teenager unlike her life back on Tamaran (2). She recalled seeing briefly on TV where a female would lean on the male but Cyborg had immediately changed the channel, saying it was too 'mushy' for him. _'But humans are not mushy,'_ she thinks to herself, recalling the firm muscle she had felt when she had latched onto Raziel once. Still, now was a perfect opportunity to try it out but she didn't know to which side she should lean.

'_Hmm, Robin is always uncomfortable whenever we are close'_ Starfire muses, stealing a few glances at the boy wonder who noticed them. Feeling uncomfortable under her gaze, he quickly caved and blushed, turning his gaze back to the TV. Looking towards Raziel, she saw he had a relatively bored look on his face and just stared at the TV with a neutral expression. _'Raziel does not really mind physical contact. Perhaps I can try this earth mannerism with him.'_ Before she could start to implement her plan, the sounds of the doors opening behind them interrupt her train of thought.

"Beastboy! Did you remember to buy the yellow tangy beverage?" Starfire asks as she turns around, wondering why it had taken so long. However, the figure wasn't carrying any pizza much less her favorite beverage. "You are _not_ Beastboy," she growls, power collecting in her hands. Before she could even move, a small yellow dart strikes her chest. Almost immediately, the whole room starts spinning as she began to lose consciousness, the figure before her smirking as it spoke with an odd accent.

"Nighty night, princess."

T-T-T

Raziel shook his head as he felt a major migraine coming on. It had felt like someone was pounding his head with a jackhammer. The last thing he could remember was Starfire growling about something and then a stinging sensation in the back of his neck. Moving to rub his head, he finally noticed that he was quite immobile, his arms and legs clamped to the chair he was currently sitting in. Shaking off his shock, he looks to his sides and sees his fellow teammates in similar situations; their heads still drooped down in unconsciousness.

"Oh, you're awake? That knockout formula should 'ave kept you in la-la land longer than that," a voice seemed to boom from everywhere and nowhere.

"What did you _do_?" Raziel growls, eye beginning to glow slightly as he tested his bonds, the sound of steel groaning as it strained against his inhuman strength.

"Ah, I see at least _someone_ in this city doesn't mutilate the language," the voice seemed to cheer. "Of course, you seem to be picking up that bloody American accent but we can fix that in a bit."

Raziel raised an eyebrow in slight confusion, a biting remark on his lips but the sudden groans from the other Titans diverted his attention.

"Is it just me or is everyone as confused as I am?" Beastboy asks as he tried to get his bearings.

"Beastboy?" Robin asks, eyes darting around trying to figure out where they were. "Cy? What happened?"

"I don't know. Last I remember was ordering the double meat supreme pizza and next I know, I'm here," the metallic teen answers.

Starfire tried vainly to use her Tamaranian strength to break out but found herself too groggy to bring up her boundless courage. "Wh...where are we?" she manages to croak.

"Either we're in someone's kinky pedophilic dream or someone's twisted plot. Take your pick," Raven deadpans, unable to call forth her powers given the constant pounding she felt in her head. _'Have to concentrate past the pain...pain is just a state of mind...' _she tells herself. _"_Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!_"_ she chants, expecting the chair to break apart at her command. Instead, she found her powers somehow suppressed. She could feel her powers just at the tip of her fingers, so to speak, but she couldn't access them.

"Don't be like that, love," a voice booms from several hidden speakers. "To answer what I'm sure all of you are thinking, one, your chairs are specially designed with _each _of you in mind. Two, you're all where you're supposed to be. In _school!_" With that, a set of double doors open in front of the Titans to reveal their captor. Normally this wouldn't have fazed them in the slightest but the fact the doors seemed to hover in mid-air. The figure gave an exaggerated bow to his audience, twirling its cane as it did so. "Name's Mad Mod. But you can all call me head master." This drew several mixed reactions from the Titans.

"School?" Beastboy responds with sudden dread, visions of test papers and old ladies with long wooden rulers beating his cute behind.

Starfire gave a confused expression. She had been to school before back in Tamaran and this was nothing like the instruction they received. _'Although the chair is quite reminiscent of the room of reflection,'_ she mused, blushing at the memory of being sent there countless times for disruptive behavior during training on Tamaran.

Robin was thinking along something different as he saw Starfire flush. _'That bastard did something to her! I'm going to kill him!'_ he growls silently, straining against his bonds.

"Ah ah ah," Mad Mod admonishes, noticing Robin's behavior. "'Ave you forgotten what I've just said? I've designed those chairs _specifically_ for each of you little gits so there's no use struggling."

"We'll see about that!" Cyborg yells back, pushing all of his strength into his arms as the braces which held him in place started to crack, much to Mad Mod's amusement.

"We'll 'ave none of that," he grins, pushing a button on his cane which activated a device on Cyborg's chair. The cybernetic Titan suddenly felt himself glued to the chair as a familiar hum could be heard emanating from his seat.

"Hey! What the!" Cyborg tried to move but found his whole body, including his head, somehow stuck to the chair.

"Electromagnets. Paid a pretty penny for those, I did."

Raziel let out a tired sigh as he looked off to the side, a look of disappointment on his face. "Great. I've been kidnapped by a gay pedophilic Austin Powers. This is _such_ a highlight in my life," he deadpans, which caused Raven to snicker.

_That_ actually got Beastboy and Cyborg's attention as they knew Raven never laughed. _Ever._ They involuntarily shuddered at the thought of Raven ever letting loose. One trip to Nevermore was more than enough.

Mad Mod, however, was fuming as he glared at the pale teen. "You bloody bastard! How dare you compare me to 'im!" Leaping from the floating doorway, he lands in front of Raziel with an angry snarl on his face. "I dare you to say that again!"

Raziel's eyes almost change immediately from their bored look, power suddenly radiating from them as he returned the man's glare. "Gladly."

The glowing eyes were almost a giveaway but Mad Mod was entirely confident in his bindings. However, the tone in the boy's voice sent shivers down his spine and that was the only thing that saved him as Raziel easily broke free of the chair, splinters littering the floor as the teen leapt at him with promises of pain in his eyes.

Bending backwards in a way that would have made a yoga master proud, he watched as Raziel sailed over him with a look of shock, the boy clearly not expecting him to dodge the attack. _'No time for idle chit-chat,'_ Mad Mod thinks, pressing the button on his cane which sent several metallic arms out from the floor.

The arms grabbed Raziel just as he landed on the floor, the steel appendages wrapping around him like bandages. Struggling to get loose, he is surprised to find that they were much stronger than the ones on the chair he was occupying earlier. Eyes beginning to glow brighter, Raziel tries using all of his unnatural strength but found them no match for Mad Mod's devices.

"You almost 'ad me, there, my little ducky," Mad Mod chuckles nervously, absently rubbing his throat. "But that'll be the only chance you get, I promise you that." Turning to face the rest of the Titans, he holds up his cane with an evil sneer on his face. "Just so that none of you goody-two-shoes try any _other_ funny stuff..."

As soon as Mad Mod's finger pushes the cane's button, a large current flows through the metallic arms into Raziel's body, the teen screaming in pain as thousands of volts run through his system. It was all he could do to not bite his own tongue. The current was so high that one could almost smell the burning flesh where the metallic arms made contact with his skin.

"Stop it!" Starfire shouts out, tears falling down her face as she watches Raziel convulse violently against his bonds, his screams filling the hall.

Raven's eyes began to glow blood-red, her knuckles turning white as she struggled against whatever bonds that held her in place. A large part of her wanted nothing more than to let loose, to scream, to cry, anything but remain stoic but she suddenly felt her father's presence clawing at her mind. It was taking all of her willpower and facets to hold the demon lord back so she couldn't allow her emotions to run rampant. A lone tear trailing down her face, she grits her teeth in anger at her inability to do more than watch.

After what seemed like an eternity, Raziel's screaming finally stops as Mad Mod pushes the button, ending the electrical torture. The rest of the Titans looked on in horror at the scene, never actually having confronted anyone as 'mad' as Mad Mod.

Grinning like a hyena, the man spins around as he twirls his cane, the cane coming to rest on Raven as his thumb hovered close to the trigger button. "Don't think I didn't see 'ow you were looking at me, love," Mad Mod threatens.

'Gray' was shivering inside her as she forced herself to look the villain in the eye. _'I can't show any weakness. I won't give him that pleasure,'_ she swore to herself, mentally preparing herself for any torture that he'd throw at her. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Mad Mod's finger moved closer and closer to the button. Gritting her teeth, she tenses as in anticipation but a loud bell suddenly rings out, startling her and the rest of the Titans as they nearly jump out of their seat (or as much as their bindings would allow, anyway).

"Oops. There's the bell. Time _does_ fly when you're 'avin' fun," Mad Mod smirks. "Off you go, my duckies." Pushing the button again, the 5 'Titans drop through the floor, screams of anger fading in the distance as Mad Mod waves at them playfully. "Tah tah." As the floor seals up again, he turns towards the near catatonic teen before him with a serious look.

"Now, what to do with you..."

T-T-T

"Ooof!" Raven gasps as the chair comes to a jarring halt. The room was dark and even with her somewhat better than human senses she couldn't make out a single detail. Blowing a stray lock of hair from her face, she tries to regain her center after the chilling scene she had just witnessed. _'Raziel...'_ She had to break out of here. Who knew what kind of injuries the boy had. She knew that he had an abnormally fast healing rate compared to most people but she didn't know if he could handle something as sadistic as that torture. Morbid thoughts began to run through her head before a booming voice echoed throughout the dark room.

"All right, love! I can see you're all fired up about school!" the voice jeers at her, causing Raven to growl in irritation.

"All I'm fired up about is giving you a thousand years of pain (1)," the goth girl deadpans, eyes searching for the source of the voice as she idly wishes for something pointy. "Show yourself so I can get a good 'before' picture."

"My, my, a feisty one, aren't you?" Mad Mod counters, still hidden in the darkness. "That feistiness is exactly what this school needs! I know just where to put you, now."

As the lights come on, Raven squints at the sudden brightness. As her eyes adjust to the now bright light, they widen in surprise and shock before narrowing in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding." Looking around, the girl found herself in the middle of a large gym, bleachers and all complete with automaton fans cheering 'Mad Mod's the greatest' in the background.

"Now then," Mad Mod begins, phasing through the floor in front of the girl. "First we 'ave to be sure you don't use any of those nasty powers." Snapping his fingers, a metallic ring pops out from the seat, clamping it around the pale girl's neck like a choker.

As soon as the choker locks shut, the bindings around her wrists and ankles deactivate immediately. In a split second, Raven chants her trademark phrase and leaps into the air only to fall flat on her face as her powers fail to respond. "Wha...what the?" she stutters, unused to her sudden lack of any abilities.

"Like I said, no nasty powers," Mad Mod smirks. "And now for your uniform." Snapping his fingers again, he watches the girl tense as she waited for his attack. His grin turns into a leer as the girl looks back at him with a confused expression.

Raven was wary but confused as she failed to sense or feel any attack that the mad villain did except for a sudden breeze. She was, however, somewhat puzzled by the leer Mad Mod gave her. Nevertheless, there was a brief glimpse of pink that she noticed under her cape that caught her attention. She never wore pink. _Ever._ (Unless she counted 'Happy', but she would never admit that.) Raising her cape she finally realized what Mad Mod was leering at.

'_I am going to kill him,'_ she promises, several voices in her head agreeing with her. Instead of her regular black leotard, underneath her cape was a garishly pink and white cheerleaders outfit that didn't leave much to the imagination. The sleeveless shirt had a plunging neckline that gave the showed off her ample cleavage, much to her embarrassment. Even the skirt was too short to even be called a mini, barley covering her unmentionables.

"Hmm. I didn't figure you for someone who'd wear black," Mad Mod taunts, his leer growing wider. "Planning to show it to someone?"

Raven immediately pulls down the skirt as far as it would go, fighting the full body blush while the more outspoken fragments of her mind thought up a thousand ways to kill the man.

"Oh well, enough of a warm-up," Mad Mod says, the leer immediately vanishing as he points his cane in a random direction. "Time to meet your team!" With a click of the button, several robots pop out of the floor, all dressed in the same garish outfit Raven was dressed in. The only difference was the blond wigs and pink pom-poms they carried but each of them had a stupid grin plastered on their face. As each robot starts to approach the girl, Mad Mod begins to walk away from the scene, giving a nonchalant wave to the girl. "I'd best be going, my ducky. Can't ignore my other students now, can I?"

With Mad Mod gone, the four robots take positions on Raven's side, each of them looking at her with grins that could easily induce diabetes in a lesser being.

"Gimme an 'M', gimme an 'A', gimme a 'D!'" the robots cheer, two on the outer formation doing somersaults and flips while the two beside Raven tossed her high into the air.

Unused to mid-air acrobatics, Raven flails about as she tries to stop her fall, her powers still being blocked by the electronic choker she wore. However, her brush with broken bones was stopped by two metallic arms as they caught her by the ankles, her face a mere inches from the floor. Letting out a sigh of relief, she suddenly notices the robots eyes glow red as their grip on her ankles tighten.

"Gimme an 'M' 'O' 'D'!" the robots blare out as they pull her legs apart in a sudden split.

"GAAAAAAAHH!" Raven lets out a scream of pain as her hamstrings tear from the forced motion. She barely even felt the robots drop her to the floor as the muscles in her legs burned in protest.

"Ok! Now that we're all stretched out, it's time to practice routines!"

Sensing something amiss with that statement, Raven tries to pull herself to her feet but the pain shooting up her unresponsive legs prevented her from doing anything more than crawling. She could barely crawl much less sit up given her body's state. Unable to resist, she feels the robots grab her arms and legs and lift her up, spread-eagle. Fighting back a cry of pain as the robots start to pull her apart, she watches with trepidation as they start to move in a circle with her in the center.

"Round and round she goes," the robots chant, a hypnotic swirl appearing on the roof above Raven. "Will she survive, nobody knows!" With that, they toss the spinning girl into the air once more, her body spinning uncontrollably as her limbs refused to respond.

Spreading out her body as much as she could to reduce the impact, Raven still slams into the floor with a resounding thud, cracking the wood floor of the gym. Writhing on the floor, the girl tried to get up but only felt a sharp pain raze her whole body. _'I...can't move,'_ she manages to think through the pain as her mind floated in and out of consciousness, the swirling pattern above her making her drowsy. She wanted nothing more than to fall asleep as the swirling pattern started to mesmerize her but a raging voice suddenly shocks her back to lucidity.

"_(WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?)"_ the voice shouts.

Raven's eyes shoot open as she realizes she wasn't in the gym anymore but in Nevermore, 'Rage' hovering before her with all four eyes glowing blood red.

"Pfft. If this is the best you can do, I don't see how you're ever going to beat _him_,_" _'Rage' huffs, glaring at the prone girl who was struggling to get up, her injuries in the real world reflecting in her mind. Landing in front of Raven's astral self, she cups Raven's cheek and whispers almost seductively in her ear. "Let me out. You know you want to," she taunts.

"Why are you doing this," Raven manages to reply, her body tingly from 'Rage's' ministrations.

"Do you even have to ask?" the red-cloaked Raven sneers, projecting several images into Raven's mind.

Conflict could be seen behind her eyes as the image of Raziel writhing in pain, smoke rising from his body from the torture earlier burned in her mind. "Damn you," she whispers, glaring at 'Rage' with what little strength she could muster as she shudders at the memory.

'Rage' simply gets up and walks away but not before speaking a few final words at the quivering girl. "You of all people should know how _we_ feel about the boy."

Raven's eyes shoot open as several figures materialize out of the shadows around her, each wearing a different colored cowl but all with a determined look in their eyes. Even 'Timid' was unusually, well, not timid; her sad eyes hiding an inner strength she normally saw in 'Brave.' Looking back to her red-cloaked self, she could almost swear that the girl was grinning madly as she took control of her body.

"**It's show time.**"

T-T-T

Mad Mod watched gleefully as the girl was mesmerized by the hypnotic screen. His plan to break the girl first before attempting 'reconditioning' worked like a charm. "Soon, my ducky, you'll be a model student of Mad Mod's School for Hero Reform." He placed the robot cheerleaders stayed put around the girl just in case she was playing possum. As the girl's eyes suddenly glow red, he knew that he was right to make those precautions.

"**It's show time,**" the pale girl growls. Her arm shooting out, she grabs one of the robots by the leg and swings her around, knocking the other robots away before tossing the one she held. Sitting up, she winces as the pain in her legs intensify. Moving her hands over her legs, she tries to heal the injury but stops as a whirring sound catches her attention.

Flying towards her was one of the cheerleaders, a metallic pompom in its hands with the ribbons replaced with metal spikes. Pushing herself off the floor with her hands, she 'leaps' above the attack, performing a handstand on the robot's arm and letting inertia do the rest of the work as she flips over her attacker. Calling forth her dark power, she could feel a tingle around the choker she wore as the darkness was subsequently suppressed.

'_So this is what is locking away my power. Ingenious, for a human,'_ 'Raven' thinks mirthlessly as she fingers the choker. Gripping the device with her hands, she starts to pull at it, her muscles visibly straining much to Mad Mod's pleasure.

"It's no use, love! Those things are made of a high-grade polymer. A little girl like you is _not_ going to break that wonder of technology." Clicking his cane's button, the robots charge at the struggling girl while he just sighs at the scene. "Some students just never learn their lesson."

Ignoring the villain's spiel, Raven's eyes begin to glow bright red as the choker starts to crack, a shocked expression on Mad Mod's face as he hears the metal snap.

"Oh, bugger!" he blurts, knowing how powerful the girl actually was. Leaping into a painting, he just barely hears the sound of metal tearing and sparks flying as the Teen Titan suddenly lets loose.

"Let me show you how it's supposed to be done," 'Raven' says to 'herself' as the choker snaps off her neck. With her power now unrestrained, black tendrils of energy burst from her body, piercing the four robots in mid-air. Each tendril then exploded into dozens of smaller tendrils, perforating the machines like a pincushion. As the machines twitch and spark, the girl gives a sneer and dispels the attack, the robots collapsing in pieces around her. Pleased with her performance and with her opponents no longer able to attack, she places her hands on her legs, power flowing from them and healing the damage that was done earlier.

She could feel the tissue mending beneath her skin, the blotches of black and blue where muscle tore slowly fading. While not pleasant, it was infinitely better than the raging pain earlier. After a few minutes of concentration, she stands up, giving a few tentative leaps before finally being satisfied at the state of her legs. "Now, which way do I go?" Raven muses out loud as she looks at her surroundings. For all accounts and purposes, it appeared that she _was_ in a regular high school gym. Picking a spot on the wall seemingly at random, she walks up to it and places her hand on the smooth surface.

"Zinthos."

T-T-T

Cyborg ran like a mad man from the machine's wires at they lashed out at him. More accurately, he hopped. He was unable to break free from the chair but his cybernetic eye protected him from the hypnotic screen's effects leaving him with only a slight headache instead of a full blown trance. When Mad Mod noticed this, he had set the supercomputer mockups to attack him. Luckily that while he couldn't break out of the chair, the chair wasn't quite so bolted to the floor and he was able to escape the computer. Unfortunately he was still strapped down so that left him little option but to evade as much as he could.

"YOU RED-HAIRED FOUR-EYES! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU...!" Cyborg yells even though he knew Mad Mod wasn't there. His rant, however, gave him pause as a light bulb went off in his head. "Man, I am SUCH an IDIOT!" Accessing his internal systems, he detaches his right arm at the wrist and just below the shoulder. No longer restrained, his right arm slips out of the arm lock and falls to the floor. Almost instantly, several wires leap from the joints, reattaching themselves back to his main body. "All right! Booooyah!" he cheers, his free arm transforming into its sonic cannon mode. Aiming it at the rampaging computer, a wicked gleam crosses his face as the weapon charges.

FOOM

A huge circular piece of the wall suddenly flies off, slamming into the computer and smashing it flatter than a pancake. Cyborg blinks his one human eye, not quite sure how that happened. Looking to the side, he suddenly freezes in fear as he realizes who had made the hole.

Stepping through her handiwork, 'Raven' looks at her comrade, eyes glowing blood red as she maintained her alertness. Seeing 'her' comrade flinch at the sight of her, she feels a slight pang of sadness at it then realizes it wasn't coming from her but _her_. "Cyborg," she states monotonously, recognizing the name from when the teen had visited Nevermore.

Nodding to the girl, he proceeds to smash the other braces with his free arm, never taking his eyes off the cloaked figure. He had only seen those blood red eyes a few times and he knew what they meant. "Errr...hi Rae," he stammers.

'_I suppose you want to take control back,'_ 'Raven' thinks to her, rematerializing back in Nevermore.

"And you wonder why I never let you out," Raven retorts dryly at her red-cloaked facet. There was a reason that red was always held back and that was because she _didn't_ hold back. Ever. It was only because they were robots that Raven felt somewhat safe to let her out.

"No fair! I wanted to beat up those robots!" 'Brave' retorts hotly, pouting as she confronts 'Rage'.

"Pfft. First come, first serve," comes the reply as the red-cloaked Raven melts into her own shadow, green ranting about as the other facets tried to calm down their over-eager companion.

Sighing at how she must be every psychologists nightmare, Raven projects herself back into the real world, her body's eyes losing their red glow and focusing on her teammate who was staring back at her nervously.

"Err...Rae? You ok? You kinda zoned out for a bit there," Cyborg says tentatively.

"I'm fine. It's nothing that concerns you," she responds before looking at the carnage. "Killer computers?"

"Yeah. Although nothing he has comes close to me, of course," Cyborg gloats. "And you?"

"All I'll say it involves pink. Lots of pink," Raven answers cryptically, consciously wrapping her cape tighter around herself to hide the cheerleader's outfit. While she could always blame Mad Mod, she'd rather they NOT see her in it. "So now what?"

"We need to find the others," Cyborg responds, activating his sonic cannon and pointing it at another wall. "Then we introduce mister Beatles-wannabe to a world of hurt!" With a resounding boom, the cannon fires a beam of energy which blasts a hole in the room. The two peek in and see the same hall they were trapped in earlier, a huge banister staircase in the middle of the room.

"Seems to be clear..." Raven stops mid-stride as her currently alert senses pick up some movement from behind the staircase.

Cyborg's sensors noticed it too as they each give silent signals to the other. Creeping up behind the stairs, they could swear they could hear something dripping from the opposite side. Steeling themselves, they rush around the stairs, hoping a surprise attack would give them a better chance. The hum of the sonic cannon charging and Raven's powers filled the air as well as a pair of familiar voices.

T-T-T

"YEARGH!" Robin yells as he leaps into the air, Starfire's own starbolts charging the air around them as they whirl around the staircase. Tossing his bird-a-rangs, he is surprised to see them stop mid-flight, a dark energy surrounding them. Even his own movement was stopped by the same dark power as he hovered in the air. His eyes widened in surprise as he finally took in the scene before him.

His bird-a-rangs were stopped just inches from Cyborg's face, Raven's power being the only thing that saved the metallic teen from a lacerated face. The goth girl, on the other hand, had a glowing fist aimed at her face, a look of horror on the Tamaranian girl as she realized her near fatal mistake. Cyborg's own cannon was aimed at Starfire, his one human eye blinking in confusion at the scene.

"Damn, that was close," the cybernetic teen sighs as the four of them lower their respective weapons.

"This place is driving all of us crazy!" Robin rants. When he found Starfire, she was almost in a berserker fury and it took nearly all his negotiating skills to calm her down. He was glad she seemed to have recovered from her ordeal, whatever it was she had been through.

"Tell me about it, man," Cyborg answers, shuddering at the memory of the killer computer.

Starfire had latched on to the now paler than usual Raven who was struggling in the Tamaranian's hug. She was just happy that her best girl friend was all right.

"Starfire. Ribs!"

"Oh, I am sorry Raven." Starfire sets down the girl who began taking huge gulps of air. "Where did out captor send you?" she ask.

"Errr...gym," Raven answers, once again holding her cape around her lest Starfire notice the pink uniform. God forbid the girl had a seeming obsession with pink and if she saw what she was wearing who knew what would happen.

"Hey, where's BB?" Cyborg asks, thankfully drawing Starfire's attention away from her.

Robin jerks a thumb behind him towards a drooling Beastboy, the green teen sporting a blank look on his face.

"It is horrible!" Starfire cries. "We could not wake him no matter what we did!"

"Those hypno-screens did this, huh? I always knew BB had a weak mind," Cyborg jokes. "Did you try this?" he asks, raising the teen to his feet and letting loose a large belch in his ear.

"BUWAHAHAHAHA!" Beastboy starts to laugh almost immediately. "Good one, dude!" He then blinks a few times as he notices the incredulous stares his teammates were giving him. "What?" Looking down, he notices his front dripping with drool. "Ewwwww!"

"That...was disgusting," Raven deadpans. "But whatever works." Looking at her teammates, aside from Beastboy each of them looked worse for wear, sporting several bruises or torn clothes. Mad Mod truly did put the five of them through a wringer. _'Wait. Five!'_

"Is Raziel not with you?" Starfire asks suddenly, looking over Cyborg's shoulder to see if the raven-haired teen was all right.

"He...you didn't find him?" Raven stammers uncharacteristically, eyes widening slightly which doesn't go unnoticed by Starfire.

"Nope! The bloody git's with me, my duckies," Mad Mod sneers, appearing at the top of the unusually high staircase. "I have to say, he's been just the model student."

"Where _is_ he?" Raven growls, drawing stares from the other Titans. They had never seen her angry except that one time with Doctor Light and even then they didn't actually 'see' her.

"E's right 'ere," the villain grins madly. Pressing the button on his cane, the double doors behind him open, revealing the missing form of Raziel. All over his body was evidence of the electrical torture he had received earlier; burns which marred his normally pale skin.

Raven begins to shake, her emotions threatening to explode at the sight she saw. Just as she was about to let 'Rage' out once more a primal scream of anger beside her shocks her back to reality.

"RAZIEL!" Starfire roars, launching herself at Mad Mod with murder in her eyes.

"Starfire, NO!" Robin's eyes widen as he realizes the same berserker fury he had just barely stopped earlier. While he had no love for the red-head villain, he couldn't allow Starfire to become a murderer. Firing his grappling line, he leaps towards the Tamaranian but new he was not fast enough. Time seemed to slow down for Robin as he watched Starfire's fist fly with all the power of her unbridled fury.

However, it seemed the villain had a reprieve as a gloved fist catches her punch a scant inches from Mad Mod's face, the shockwave from the punch disturbing the villain's hair slightly. Blinking in shock that someone was strong enough to do that, her shock turns to surprise as she sees the owner of the hand. "Raziel?" Looking at the boy's face, she is surprised to see an emotionless mask in place of his normally stoic expression.

"What has he done to you, Raziel?" Starfire whispers, her expression softening as she felt her heart break at the goth teen's state. Landing in front of the teen, she is shaken out of her reverie as Mad Mod suddenly starts laughing evilly.

"You shouldn't be worried about what I did to him," he sneers. "You should be worried about what he'll do to you."

Raven is the first to raise an eyebrow in curiosity at that statement but Mad Mod's next words confirmed her worst suspicions.

"Kill."

Almost immediately Raziel's expression changes to one of animalistic rage as his fist lashes out, connecting with the Tamaranian girl's stomach and knocking her down the stairs.

Robin rushes immediately to the girl's side, eyes glaring hatefully at the goth teen. "What the hell did you do that for!" he shouts, pulling out several bird-a-rangs. However, Starfire places her hand on his own before he could even throw any of the projectiles. "Star?"

"That...was not Raziel," she gasps, trying to catch her breath after being punched in the gut. "Raziel would not harm us willingly. He...is being controlled. I know it."

Robin nods in understanding. They had found Beastboy a slobbering idiot (from his normally idiotic self) after being exposed to what seemed to be a few minutes of hypnotism. Who knew what happened to Raziel after being exposed for far longer? His musings are cut short as he notices movement out of the corner of his eye. Grabbing the Tamaranian in his arms, Robin fires his grappling line into the ceiling, pulling the two of them out of harms way as Raziel's fist occupies the space they were in, a small crater forming on the floor from the impact.

"Cy! Beastboy! The two of you take down Raziel!" Robin orders. "And try not to hurt him!" he adds, a look of relief crossing Starfire's face, much to his jealousy. "The three of us will take down Mad Mod!"

"Beastboy won't be able to stand up to him. Let me do it," Raven interjects as she raises a black wall between herself and the mesmerized Raziel.

"But I..." the green teen starts to counter but a quick glare from Raven shuts him up immediately.

"Are you sure? Beastboy can change into animals much stronger than you," Robin retorts.

"Exactly why it should be me and Cyborg. Cyborg is tough enough to take any punishment Raziel could dish out. Any animal that could overcome Raziel could also seriously hurt him," she explains as she maintained the shield around them. "And if Raziel brings out his sword, the best way to deal with magic is magic."

"What's wrong, my duckies? Cat got your tongue?" Mad Mod laughs from atop the staircase. His puppet continued to pound on the black shield, slight tremors shaking the entire room with each blow.

Robin grits his teeth, not finding any argument against Raven's logic. "Fine. You two go for Raziel. We'll handle Mad Mod."

Raven nods at her leader, giving a silent signal to Cyborg as she lowers the shield, the three Titans leaping after the mastermind while she and Cyborg tackled their erstwhile teammate.

"I'm on it!" Cyborg answers, catching one of Raziel's punches as his expression turns serious. "C'mon, man. Snap out of it!" The boy's response was to throw a second punch which was easily caught by the cybernetic Titan. "We could do this all day, if I have to. We both know I'm the strongest on the team." His eyes widen in surprise as the teen suddenly stomps his foot, embedding it into the floor. _'What the? It looks like he's bracing himself...aww crap!'_

Raising his free leg, Raziel kicks Cyborg square in the chest, his own considerable strength combined with the brace position knocking the metallic teen into a wall. His opponent no longer a threat, he turns his blank stare to Raven who returned it with a firm glare.

"Wake up Raziel. Don't make me fight you," she states stoically although inside it was tearing her apart. When Raziel takes a step towards her, she automatically goes on the offensive, levitating several of the floor boards and launching them at the teen.

Raziel easily blocks the flying projectiles, shattering them with his fists. However, their purpose was not to attack as a huge chunk of ceiling comes crashing down on him. Dodging the attack, Raven suddenly appears behind him and grabs his head.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinth...?" Raven's chant is interrupted as Raziel grabs her arms and tosses her over his head. Only the fact she could levitate is what saved her from a painful impact with the ceiling. _'I really need to think of shorter magic words,'_ she thinks mirthlessly. Her thought are cut short as a frustrated yell from Cyborg breaks the silence.

"ARGH! THAT'S IT! NO MORE MISTER NICE CY!" he roars, pulling himself out of the wall. Activating his sonic cannon and setting it to near minimum power, he takes aim at Raziel and fires, hoping the shock would at either snap Raziel out of his trance or at the very least knock him out.

Unfortunately for him, it was then that Raziel decided to bring out the Reaver, cleaving the blast with the ethereal blade.

"What the! You shouldn't be able to do that!" Cyborg rants, pointing an accusing finger at the pale teen.

Raziel didn't seem to pay attention as the blade suddenly turned a blackish purple hue. Charging at Cyborg, the cybernetic Titan barely avoided a slash which left a deep gash in the floor.

"Eeep! Rae! Some help here!" Cyborg calls out while running away from the sword-wielding boy. Almost immediately a wall of dark energy manifests itself in front of Raziel, the boy running face first into the magical construct.

Raven watched as the boy picked himself up almost marionette-like and slashed at her shield, the dark blade having little effect on her powers. As he vainly tried to break through her defense, Raven willed her power to wrap around the boy, preventing him from any movement. Landing in front of the struggling Raziel, her eyes begin to glow once more as she reaches for the sides of his forehead. "Now, let's see if we can undo what bowl-cut did." This time before she could even begin her trademark chant the Reaver in Raziel's hand suddenly changes color from a pale blue to bright yellow. "That can't be good," she murmurs.

Indeed it wasn't, as the ethereal blade easily sliced through her bindings like a hot knife through butter. The girl leapt back to avoid the upward slash but still wound up getting nicked on her arm.

Raven nearly screamed in pain as the blade made contact with her skin, biting back a cry as she felt her skin burn almost as if the blade rejected her existence. Expecting the boy to follow-up on his attack, her reaction seemed to elicit some response from Raziel as he stopped mid-stride, a shocked expression on his face as if noticing something for the first time. "Raziel...?" she asks tentatively.

"I GOT HIM!" Cyborg yells, wrapping his arms around Raziel while he was focused on Raven. Almost immediately Raziel's expression turns blank again as he struggled to power out of Cyborg's hold. However, the cybernetic Titan was still the undeniably strongest member of the team and he knew Raziel didn't have the strength to break free.

Or so he thought. Surprising him again, Raziel somehow hooked his leg behind his own and causing the pair to fall backwards. The fall caused Cyborg to lose his grip on the boy as he once more found himself flying through a wall. "Not again!" his voice trails off.

'_He's open!'_ Raven realizes. Seizing the opportunity, Raven immediately leaps into action, placing her hands on the sides of Raziel's head and chanting her magic words, her eyes glowing brightly as she yelled at the boy. "Wake up Raziel!"

As power flowed from Raven into the boy, his body suddenly went rigid as he let out a scream of pain. The Reaver dissipating, his hands shoot up towards the girl's neck, a primal instinct to stop the cause of his pain.

Raven falls on her back as Raziel forced himself on top of her but her hands remained where they were. Even as she felt the strong hands strangle the life out of her she continued to try to break through to his mind. It didn't seem to be enough as she felt herself starting to black out from asphyxiation. Her eyes closing, she could only muse morosely at her state. _'I wasn't good enough...'_

Then it stopped. The hands that she had seen bend steel had suddenly relaxed their grip around her neck. At first hesitant to open her eyes, they shoot open as she felt warm drops land on her cheeks, the hands pulling away from her neck.

"Oh my god, Raven," Raziel rasps, looking at his hands like they were some abomination. He looked at Raven almost fearfully as if he had done the unforgivable. "Cyborg. Starfire. Oh god, I remember everything..." Those were his last coherent words as he succumbed to his injuries, collapsing on top of Raven.

Pulling herself out from under the boy, Raven looked at him with a mixture of relief and anxiety. She could sense he was still alive as she could feel his warm breath as his head lay on her lap but it was the way he acted that unnerved her the most. Raziel was completely aware of his actions but couldn't do a thing to stop it. She knew the feeling well, having nearly lost control to her emotions against Doctor Light.

'_I don't want anyone to ever have to go through what I do,'_ she thought sadly as she gingerly touched the bruise around her neck, not noticing that she was running her free hand through his hair. She could feel depression setting in as the thought of Trigon finally getting control of her was an all too real possibility. Sensing someone approaching, she pushed back those feelings before they overwhelmed her completely.

"YEARGH! WHERE IS HE?" Cyborg roars as he rushed back to the scene. However, instead of the sounds of battle he found an unconscious Raziel sprawled out on the ground. "Rae, are you all...?" He stops mid-sentence as he finally noticed the scene in front of him, his face now sporting a wide grin.

Raven had also begun to notice Cyborg staring at her, the realization of what she was doing caused her to stand up immediately, dropping Raziel's head on the floor with a resounding 'thunk.' "Say anything and die."

Cyborg wisely kept his mouth shut but the grin stayed firmly in place. Mentally congratulating himself for installing the video recording components in his left eye, his train of thought is interrupted as Robin and the rest of the group land a few feet away with an old man in tow. "_That's_ the guy who did all this?" he blurts, not quite believing this was the same man who had tortured and brainwashed Raziel and nearly defeated the Teen Titans.

"This whole place is like a giant set. All we were fighting was an illusion while he controlled the real weapons from a control room," Robin growls, leveling a glare at the old man who struggled against his ropes.

"Kids these days. No respect for their betters," Mad Mod grumbles, not a hint of remorse at his actions present on his face.

Everyone looked angrily at the old man, each wanting nothing more than to beat him silly but they all gaped in shock at what happened next.

SLAP

Mad Mod's head nearly turned 180-degrees from the slap he received. All eyes were on Raven as she glared at the villain, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. Cyborg and Beastboy slowly backed away from the girl, having had firsthand experience with an emotional Raven but Robin and Starfire could only stare in shock. They had never seen her like this before.

"How dare you," she hisses at Mad Mod before walking back to Raziel's prone form. Kneeling beside the teen, she gathers him in her arms as her power manifests itself as a giant raven. As she begins the spell to teleport the two of them to the tower, Raziel started to stir, apparently half-conscious as he struggled to speak.

"I'm sorry, Raven..." he whispers, causing Raven's face to soften slightly compared to her earlier outburst.

As the two teleport to the tower, Robin levels a cold look at the decrepit villain, his fist clenching with rage. "We'll be sure you get put away for a long time, Mad Mod."

T-T-T

Mad Mod whistled a happy tune as he was led to his cell, the prison one of the most high-security ones in the city with the likes of Cinderblock and HIVE criminals filling its halls.

"Get in there!" his guard growls, angry that this person seemed to be so happy going to jail. While he didn't approve much of hero-vigilantes, he knew that the Teen Titans meant well and kept the more psychotic (and powerful) criminals off the street. He shoves the old man inside, glad that another whacko was now behind bars.

Cell door closing with a slam, Mad Mod watches the guard walk off into the distance. No longer within earshot of the guard, he pushes the rim of his glasses, a tiny antennae popping up on the side. "It's done," he seemingly speaks to himself.

" And I know this is true, because? " a voice seemed to sound from the glasses' earpiece.

"Because I'm the best at what I do and you know it," he sneers back. "You have what we agreed on?"

" Of course, " comes the condescending reply. " The amount will be wired to your account. "

"It better be in Pounds! None o' that Euro trash. Your 'Titans' set me back a pretty penny for my school and I expect to get extra for that," Mad Mod retorts just as the line is cut. "Bloody yank," he grumbles. After what seemed to be a few minutes of silence, he gives a pleased snort as he seemed to realize something. "About time it he transferred the money." With that, Mad Mod collapsed into a heap on his bed as smoke and sparks began to rise from his body. With the amount of security the place afforded, it would only be a few hours before the body would be discovered.

Elsewhere, a figure takes off a sophisticated headset and gloves as he gets up from a high-tech chair. Placing the electronics down on the nearby table, he puts on a pair of glasses and looks out the window of his Surrey home, a pleased smile on his face.

"Well, my duckies, just because I've been paid doesn't mean we won't be seeing each other again. After all, Mad Mod doesn't enjoy losing." With that, Professor of Psychology Matthew Thaddeus(3) stepped out to resume his day job. After all, even villains had secret identities.

-To be continued-

Whew! At last, a new chapter released. Things seem to be heating up. Why this interest in Raziel? Everyone seems to want something from him. Stay tuned for the next chapter 

Thanks to everyone who's stayed with me so far and to all new readers to the story. It's because of you guys I continue to write.

Notes:

(1) Cookies to anyone who can recognize the reference :p

(2) With her people being a warrior race, I'm pretty sure she's had her fair share of battles before.

(3) Not sure what his real name is but I hope it sounds British. 

Omake 1:

"Wake up Raziel. Don't make me fight you," she states stoically although inside it was tearing her apart. She takes an offensive stance, waiting for Raziel to make the first move. After a few tense moments, she realized he wasn't taking any action against her. Then she noticed the thin trail of blood that was staining Raziel's cowl and where he seemed to be staring. Following his gaze, she realized that her current stance hiked up her already micro cheerleaders' skirt and gave Raziel a clear view of her unmentionables, causing her to go beet red.

The following day, Raziel would wonder how he had suddenly become bed-ridden with multiple fractures and dislocated joints.

Omake 2:

"What has he done to you, Raziel?" Starfire whispers, her expression softening as she felt her heart break at the goth teen's state. Landing in front of the teen, she is shaken out of her reverie as Mad Mod suddenly starts laughing evilly.

"You want to know what I did to him? I'll do better than that. I'll show you!" Raising his cane, he points it at the ceiling which causes all the walls to suddenly go white. Soon, a soft melody began to play followed by a huge abomination which covered every screen around them.

"I love you, you love me..."

"AAAIIIIIEEEEEE!"

Mad Mod laughed maniacally as he watched the Titans twitch and cringe on the floor. Thirty minutes of Barney was sure to fry anyone's brain.


	13. Der Schleier von Lügen

**Souls Entwined**

Disclaimer: I don't own Legacy of Kain, Teen Titans, or any of the characters in either series. I do, however, own this story so there :p

First of all, I'd like to give a big apology to all my readers for the lateness in the chapter. My creative juices have been flowing at a relative trickle which has been a real bummer for me. Hopefully I can keep up my writing even with all the stuff I need to do.

"Words"

'_Thoughts'_

_Flashbacks_

**Der Schleier von Lügen (The Veil of Lies)**

A fine mist settled around the forest as day gave way to night, an eerie chill permeating the area as even the animals refused to show themselves. In a secluded area of the forest stood an unusual stone structure which few people knew even existed. To the naked eye, it appeared nothing more than a pile of rocks, albeit a large pile the size of a trailer home, that bore no second look.

However, an odd hum started to sound from the rocks, a glow shining brightly from within the stone structure. In a brilliant flash of light, the rocks burst apart to reveal a round circular artifact, a swirling mass of energy in its center. The energy seemed to pulse and glow brighter as it began to swirl faster. Just as it seemed to reach critical mass, a figure began to form, stepping out of the light with an air that some would call arrogance or extreme confidence.

As the figure cleared the artifact, the glow immediately faded leaving nothing more than an odd looking structure. The figure turns towards the stone shape briefly before turning his gaze skyward, eyes glinting evilly in the moon light.

"So this is where you have been hiding," the heavily accented voice smirks, a predatory grin on his face. "At last, we have come full circle."

With confident strides, the figure walks deeper into the forest. If one were to look, it would have appeared the man simply blended with the shadows, his footsteps not even rustling the leaves on the forest floor.

T-T-T

_Hunt. Kill. Destroy._

_Raziel felt detached from his body as he felt it move of its own volition. He saw his target in front of him, a blurry figure that just begged to be destroyed. Launching himself at the figure, he found it to be an exceptional opponent but nothing he couldn't overcome. Powering through the attacks the figure threw at him, he felt his hands latch around its neck and clamp down. He felt disgusted at using such a barbaric technique to finish off his opponent but something inside him kept whispering to give no quarter._

_As he squeezed harder, he could feel the struggles of his victim, the beating of their heart weakening as reveled in her fear._

'_Her?'_

T-T-T

Starfire visited Raziel nearly everyday; the boy still in his comatose state after their harrowing encounter with Mad Mod. In typical Starfire fashion, she had doted on him in Tamaranian fashion, singing some songs of healing which were only stopped upon the insistence of Raven and Robin. The boys visited him once and swore to get even with the British mad man if they ever got their hands on him.

When news of Mad Mod's escape reached them, each of them reacted differently to the news. Starfire had started making her pudding of vengeance (which surprisingly tasted very good and was non-toxic to the terran members of the Teen Titans). Beastboy had played video games like mad while Cyborg started working on a pet project of his. Robin, being Robin, played the brooding leader to a 'T' and tried to search for signs of the escaped criminal.

Raven was, well, Raven. She stayed in her room most of the time, rarely showing herself to her teammates as usual except for the times Starfire caught her sneaking into Raziel's room. Starfire wondered why the girl seemed to hide the fact she visited Raziel daily but didn't really think much of it. She was, however, thankful for the sudden theft of the computer chip as it forced Raven to actually show herself to her teammates. After all it wasn't healthy to stay cooped up all day. Entering the medical room where Raziel lay, she took a seat beside him and placed a small bowl of pudding on the table.

"Hello, Raziel," the girl greets in a very un-Starfire-like manner, her voice carrying hints of sadness over his condition. "I hope you are doing well. We have tried searching for the Mad Mod person but he is most elusive. Even Robin is saying he covered his tracks well, but I was not aware he used a train."

Raziel remained unresponsive on the bed, only the soft rise and fall of his chest even indicated he was alive at all which caused the young Tamaranian to sigh.

"Everyone wishes for your recovery, Raziel. Even Raven, although the tries to hide it, misses your company." She watched the boy's face intently, hoping for some sign of recovery. She had read in one of Robin's books that people in Raziel's condition sometimes responded to outside stimuli. Failing to see anything out of the ordinary, she gave a sad smile and placed here forehead on Raziel's, whispering a short Tamaranian prayer for luck.

"May X'hal bring you back to us, Raziel."

T-T-T

Outside the room, Raven's eyes were staring at the floor, her hand absently rubbing the sore spot where one of the techno-ninjas had hit her earlier. The mission had gone badly for them and she had no one to blame for her injury but herself. She had been trying to take her mind off Raziel's condition for the past few days and even tried helping Cyborg with his 'baby' (she was quick to beat down on Beastboy when he suggested another interpretation of that statement). It helped for a bit but during the fight her thoughts drifted back to the pale teen, hence her injury.

She had tried visiting him several times but they always amounted to nothing more than her sitting for an hour or so just watching him. She didn't know really how to talk to him much less what to say. She was even more of an 'alien' to Earth than Starfire in the human relations department; the Tamaranian talking to him about her day and what else had been happening around the city. Something which Raven could not bring herself to do.

Still, because of his current state she found herself missing their everyday banter and tonight had finally worked up the nerve to speak to him. Taking off her cowl, she took a deep breath and raised her hand to the door, bringing it down but stopping a mere inch from the switch as she heard a familiar voice talking inside. Before she had the chance to move away, the door opened to reveal the said Tamaranian stepping out, a surprised expression on her face.

"Raven! How wondrous that you are here! I thought you would not be arriving today to speak with Raziel!"

Raven blushed at Starfire's apparent knowledge of her visits. "It...it's not what you think," she deadpans. "I was just here to make sure you didn't try any of your homemade treatments on Raziel."

Starfire looked puzzled at that statement but before she could comment on it Raven had already made her way around her and closed the door, leaving the normally bubbly girl with a confused look on her face.

"But did you not tell me last week that they were not needed?"

T-T-T

Raven gave a sigh of resignation as the door closed behind her, wondering how long it would take before her secret spread throughout the tower. Taking a seat beside the boy, she blushed in embarrassment, turning away from Raziel as she still couldn't think of anything to say to him.

'_He's unconscious. He can't really hear anything you say so there's no reason to be embarrassed,'_ she tells herself.

"_(And you're frustrated he can't hear you, right?)"_ a second voice speaks in her head with an amused tone.

'_Shut up, before I make you shut up,'_ she retorts hotly. To her relief, the voice _did_ decide to quiet down, having amused itself enough by Raven's own reactions. Looking back at the boy, her expression softens as she watched his sleeping form.

"Hey," she finally utters. "Guess you heard what's been happening from Starfire, I suppose. I haven't exactly been a great conversationalist, but you probably know that by now." Raven, like Starfire, waited expectantly for any response from the boy but like earlier he simply remained motionless. "You're absolutely infuriating, you know that?" she adds. "Even when you're unconscious you still find some way to piss me off."

The soft sound of his breathing his only response, Raven continued to tell him about their current predicament with the stolen computer chip. "Starfire's probably told you how Slade seems to be going after some high-tech hardware that not even Robin knows what it's for. We...didn't do too well and his men got away with the chip. Robin's been busy trying to figure out Slade's next move so we haven't seen much of him either."

Running out of things to say again, she absently pushed back a lock of hair from his face, jerking her hand away once she realized what she was doing. Averting her gaze from Raziel, the sudden beeping of here communicator suddenly shocks her back to reality. Glaring at the offending device, she looks once more at the catatonic teen with a nervous look on her face.

"I'm only going to ask you once, so you'd better listen good," she huffs, a faint blush on her cheeks as she whispers in his ear.

T-T-T

Robin sat in front of the Titan's computer, his pose reminiscent of his mentor as he stared at the stylized 'S' that he had picked up several nights before. Whoever this 'Slade' character was, he was certainly pulling a lot of strings from the HIVE attack on the tower to the giant fire monster which nearly destroyed the city and now this recent theft of the computer chip. If he was a betting man, he would bet that the fiasco with Mad Mod was also the man's doing. As he continued to stare at the item, a flashing red light on the computer panel catches his attention. Bringing up the display, his eyes narrow as he discovers the source of the disturbance. An idea starts forming in his head as his hand hovered over the all-hands button.

"Titans! We have someone breaking in to UTC Heavy Industries' R&D division! Move out!" he barks over the tower's comm. system. "I've got a lead on Slade so I won't be able to join you but..."

T-T-T

Again and again, the scene replayed itself, each time right before it looked like his opponent would be vanquished, the whole thing would start itself over. Each time, he felt the murderous instinct well up in him but it felt...artificial, almost manufactured. Still, he could only watch as he strangled his opponent when he suddenly heard a voice in the distance. It seemed faint and far but the message was clear.

"_Please wake up."_

Eyes shooting open, Raziel suddenly found himself in the twisted version of reality once again. Looking at his body, he found it had been healed or rather lacked any physical injuries whatsoever. Shaking the cobwebs from his head, he started to remember the things that Mad Mod did to him which, for lack of a better term, pissed him off to no end. _'Now to figure out how to get out of 'here' and have a little chat with Mad Mod,_' he grouses. Getting back to his feet, an incredibly ancient presence suddenly permeated the entire area causing Raziel to shift uncomfortably.

"**Hello again, little soul,"** a deep voice reverberates from everywhere as Raziel started to regain his senses.

"Ah. It's you. And here I thought that we were never seeing each other again," Raziel answers back, still slightly irritated from the memories of his torture. "Why did you bring me here?"

"**That was not of my doing. You came here of your own volition. To answer why I have not spoken to you, this is the only realm where we may interact and you have not 'visited' me since...'I' resurrected you. However, now that you are here, we have much to discuss."**

"I see," Raziel replies, silently noting this little piece of information. The sudden pause the voice did when it mentioned bringing him back was cause for concern though. "How long have I been out?" he wondered out loud.

"**Time passes much differently here but in your terms you have been unconscious for three days,"** the voice answered almost angrily.** "I have been trying to contact you for some time now to try and warn you. There are forces which have begun to congregate in your world. Forces which are more dangerous than you could possibly comprehend."**

Raziel's eyes narrowed slightly at this revelation. End of the world scenarios were really _not_ his cup of tea and he was pretty sure that it wasn't good for his health to leave it unattended. "If this is something which threatens this world, why am I the only one you have reached out to?" he growls. "What are they? Surely there are other heroes who would answer your call."

"**You are _my_ Avatar, little soul, and thus are the only one I am able to reach. As for the threats, they are currently beyond my reach except for the presence they exude. I know this because I have witnessed their actions before and will attempt to subvert you to their cause."**

Something seemed off about the being's statement but that little tidbit about subversion really got Raziel riled as he didn't like being subservient to anyone; his experience with Mad Mod solidifying that desire. The voice was currently exempt from that as he owed it the favor of bringing him back to life, at least for the time being. "Very well, I'll see what I can do," he answers somewhat condescendingly. "Can you tell me what they are?"

"**Do not worry, little soul. They will find you," **it answers ominously.

Raziel started to frown not at the vagueness of the answer (which in itself was irritating enough) but another issue which had been bothering him ever since he met the voice. "You know, calling me a 'little soul' is a bit irksome," he deadpans.

"**If I knew your name, perhaps I wouldn't call you such,"** the voice counters in an amused tone.

"Raziel. My name is Raziel," he answers, somewhat surprised that the voice wasn't as omniscient as he had believed.

"**...I...see. It is...good to meet you, Raziel,"** the voice hesitatingly answers.

Crossing his arms at the perceived insult, Raziel opened his mouth to retort but suddenly felt the familiar feeling of displacement which preceded each of his little jaunts to and from the spectral realm, leaving the voice to ponder a new piece of information.

"**Raziel...could it be?"**

T-T-T

Eyes struggling open, Raziel suddenly felt pain shoot up his whole body, the effects of laying still for several days. Looking around, he that he was back in the 'real' world in the tower's infirmary. To his side lay a bowl of uneaten pudding (and given the appearance he surmised Starfire made it). Still, the sudden growling of his stomach showed how long he had actually been unconscious so with a supreme effort of will, he reached for the pudding and started to eat.

T-T-T

With the Titans away on their mission, a lithe figure sneaks through the shadows around the building, slowly making its way up the 'T'-shaped building like a spider. From time to time, it would pause as if searching for something before continuing up the side. Eventually, it came up to an air vent which was next to a window. Placing its hand on the panel, a brief flash and pop later the vent comes loose and the figure slips inside, somehow avoiding the multitude of sensors and traps the building contained.

T-T-T

Surprised at the actual normalness of the pudding, Raziel placed the empty bowl back on the night stand when he noticed the sounds of rattling coming from the opposite end of the bed along with several grunts and curses. After a few minutes of that, a flash of pink was followed by the sound of metal falling.

"Great. Here I am, breaking through one of the most secure places in the city and I have trouble with a few screws," a familiar voice grumbles to herself followed by the sound of crawling.

Weakened as he was, curiosity still got the better of him (as well as the fact that he was still a Titan and felt somewhat honor-bound to protect the tower) as he forced himself to peek over the bed. He nearly jumps back in surprise as a slim figure suddenly shoots up from the floor, pink hair flowing down her shoulders as she stares at him with wide open eyes.

"Err...Heya?"

"Jinx," Raziel deadpans. "What are you doing here?"

"Shhhh!" the pink haired girl shushes. "You want them to know I'm here? The walls have ears here, you know?"

Raziel looked around the rather spartan room before giving Jinx his most serious expression. "Riiight. I'm sure Robin thinks everyone in the tower is evil so he needs all the rooms bugged."

"Then why are you whispering?" the girl counters, a grin on her face.

Opening his mouth to retort, Raziel found that he had no idea why he started following her suggestion so he wisely shut up.

Seeing the boy with his mouth hanging was priceless to Jinx, giggling as she watched him struggle to answer. Her own hand shoots up to her mouth almost immediately as she realized she herself was making too much noise.

"Not that I don't enjoy your company," Raziel states, slowly propping himself up on his bed while still whispering, "but what are you doing here and how did you get in?"

Jinx blushed at both at Raziel's little compliment but kept her comments to herself as she crawled towards the boy on her hands and knees. "Oh. Right. Remember the favor you owe me?" she asks shyly.

"Owe?" He tried to think back to when he owed her a favor then remembered the incident with the Puppet King, mentally sighing that the girl was actually serious. "...Right. As you can see, I'm not exactly in the best condition to..." He paused as he noticed the injuries he thought he gained from his torture seemed to have vanished, negating that particular excuse. Still, his body ached from days of disuse.

"Sooo, I was wondering if I could collect on that," she adds, tracing a finger over Raziel's chest which caused the teen to sport a faint blush.

"I...err...wha...?" he stutters as the finger sent shivers down his spine. For some reason, his hormones went into overdrive and he had no idea why.

"Well," she responds huskily, "I have a little _problem_ that I need help with and I can't do it _alone_." The last part was whispered into the boy's ear which caused him to take a sharp intake of breath.

Raziel's mind was in a turmoil as he went through several interpretations of what Jinx wanted done, cursing his hormones as his imagination jumped from 'G' all the way to 'not-so-G, more of G-string.' The topics fully shifted to the extreme end of the spectrum as Jinx pushed him onto his back, straddling him on his stomach as she continued to play with the buttons on his medical gown.

"So, do I have an answer?"

Taking a big gulp, Raziel found himself nodding hastily as her finger started to trail a path down his abs.

"Great! Come with me!" the girl cheerily responds, the 'look' completely gone from her face as she jumps off the prone boy who was looking at her with an expression of shock and confusion. Seeing he had gone into 'blue screen of death' mode, she places her hands on her hips as she pouts at him cutely. "Come on, I haven't got all day."

Raziel dumbly started to take off the sheets when he realized he wasn't properly dressed. He gives Jinx a flat stare to which she only blinks in confusion. After a few seconds, she finally realized his hint and turned around.

"Right. Well, hurry up!" she snaps, trying to hide her embarrassment.

As Raziel started to head to his room for a change of clothes, he started wondering what the heck he had gotten himself into as he was sure that this just wasn't his day.

Much later, dressed in a simple pair of black jeans with a black t-shirt, Raziel continued to be dragged by the pink-haired goth through the dark alleys of the city. "Jinx?"

"We're almost there!" the girl replies, not bothering to look at her companion as she moved briskly in the shadows.

Raziel could only sigh, both from his current physical condition and his own resignation as he followed Jinx. He still wondered how the girl managed to get past all the alarms and made a mental note to speak about that to Cyborg later. His musings are cut short as a heavy base beat started to pound in the distance. "Jinx? What's that sound?"

"Eh? What sound?" the girl asks, lacking the enhanced hearing of her companion yet not breaking her pace.

"I don't know," Raziel answers. "It's like a thumping sound but it's not regular. I mean, it has a pattern but nothing that I've ever heard before."

"I don't hear anything, but where is it coming from?"

"Up ahead. I can't quite place how far, though."

Jinx's eyes widen in shock at Raziel's abilities, looking back at the boy with added interest. She grins at him though as she realized what he was probably hearing. "Don't worry about it. I think I know what you're hearing."

"And?" Raziel asks.

"You'll see," she answers cryptically, pulling the teen along as they continued through the dark alleys of the city. After a few minutes of travel they finally arrived at their destination.

"A club," Raziel deadpans, the thumping bass pounding his head like a jackhammer.

"Yup."

"You brought me all the way out here to a club," comes the dry reply.

"So?"

Unable to find a suitable retort, Raziel suddenly found himself on the club dance floor amidst a mass of bodies all twisting and grinding to the beat. Jinx then proceeded to attach herself to the boy, rubbing herself against him it what many would have viewed as indecent. Something seemed to awaken inside him, and it wasn't just his hormones talking.

"You have to dance or you'll look out of place," she whispers in his ear as she grabbed his hips and started moving them in time to her own.

"I don't dance," he hisses back, feeling somewhat awkward at the position he was now in. Coupled with the strange sensation he was feeling, he knew it wasn't anything good.

"Trust me, you _don't_ want to be out of place here," Jinx answers, motioning with her eyes towards the people around them.

Letting his eyes adjust to the darkness (which he found wasn't all that dark, surprisingly), he noticed a familiar towering figure in the distance that appeared to be struggling to talk to a girl. "Is that...?"

"Mammoth," the girl confirms.

Letting his senses get a feel of the area, he finally realized why Jinx didn't want him to 'stand out.' The club was populated entirely by meta-humans, each probably with enough power to take out their fair share of real estate. If Mammoth was here then their affiliation was something of suspect. "Why did you bring me here?" he whispers in her ear, struggling to hold back the unfamiliar sensation as he allowed her to lead their dance.

"We're here to meet someone. And relax more. You move with the coordination of an old man."

Raziel kept silent about the true reason behind his jerky movements. It was hard enough maintaining his composure given her subtle ministrations.

"Move it, wimp!" a gruff voice pipes up, shoving Raziel aside which caused him to further press against the lithe girl. All at once, he was suddenly bombarded by thousands upon thousands of heartbeats, each one calling out to him like a drug. The strongest calling came from the pink-haired girl in front of him. His vision going red, he grabs Jinx by the waist and started to run his hands up her sides ignoring the yelp of surprise from his partner.

Jinx was too shocked to react as she felt herself being led in what could be loosely called a dance. She felt her face start to flush as his hands trailed paths along her body but never really touching anything private. It was driving her nuts but she had no idea how to react. She _did_ notice that many of the people on the floor were giving them appreciative looks, many of which were looks of jealousy which just caused her to blush even deeper. After what seemed like an eternity, the dancing stopped as Raziel's face was now hovering dangerously close to hers. In the subdued lights of the club, she could still make out the primal desire in his face which sent pleasant shivers down her spine.

She did find it weird that the lights also seemed to make his eyes appear golden but was too lost in the dance to actually care. She could vaguely remember being twirled around so that her back was now to the boy, his warm breath on her neck. As quickly as the sensation came, she suddenly felt herself dropped like a hot potato as Raziel suddenly rushed off the dance floor. Watching the boy's retreating back, her frozen brain attempted to reboot from the experience, her face frowning as she finally realized her unceremonious dumping on the dance floor.

"Hey!"

T-T-T

After reaching the washroom, Raziel splashed water on his face, hoping to erase the sensation he had felt earlier. He had hoped Trigon's claim of his vampirism was false but tonight had dispelled any of Raven's assurances that he wasn't. It had reared its head as a full blown want, an almost desperate need to feed not out of hunger but for the sheer pleasure of it. Still, it was a small comfort when he saw that he lacked any of the fangs popular culture attributed to vampires. Splashing his face once more, he felt the urge weaken somewhat; he could no longer feel each and every warm body's pulse which made him sigh with relief. Composing himself, he steps out of the washroom only to find Jinx waiting for him with an impatient look on her face.

"You'd better have a good reason for doing that, Raz. I don't enjoy being left hanging in the middle of a dance." _'And the fact I'm going to need a very cold shower,'_ she grumbles to herself.

"Not now, Jinx," he snaps, instantly regretting the tone he had taken with the girl but what was done was done.

Jinx, even though she hadn't quite cooled down from her dance, found the sudden change in Raziel's demeanor weird and scooted closer to the boy. "Hey, what's wrong? It wasn't _that_ bad dancing with me, was it?" she jokes, hoping it really wasn't the case.

"No, it's not you, it's me," Raziel replies, deciding to give a vague yet truthful answer. It pained him, however, at how clichéd that sounded. "I just have something I need to sort out."

"Need to talk about it?"

Raziel gave the girl a questioning look. True, their relationship hovered somewhere along friendship but she was still what most people would call a villain. Looking into her eyes though, he found nothing but honesty behind them which was quite surprising given her occupation. Still he hadn't even told the Titans about his problem and they were his teammates so he just shook his head. "No, it's all right. I appreciate the offer, though."

Jinx looked at him intently but gave a tentative nod. "If you say so," she answers, taking the hint that he didn't really want to talk about it. Still, it made him look all mopey which she thought really didn't suit him. Angsty he could pull off, yes but not mopey. The silence between them was unnerving even as the music blared in her ears as she really didn't know what else to talk about; their dance had rattled her mind beyond the point of coherent thought and the only thing she could think about was mister mopey. Thankfully, Raziel had decided to break the cone of silence.

"So, where _is_ this 'someone' we're supposed to meet?"

Jinx looks around the club, now feeling slightly worried that the person hadn't shown up. Was someone on to her plans? Was her contact ok? "I don't know. Should have been here by now," she answers.

"Who should have?" comes a voice from behind them.

"GYAAAA!" Jinx leaps out of her seat in fright, landing on top of Raziel who reflexively catches her in his arms. "Don't do that!" she retorts angrily.

"Heh. Maybe I should leave you two lovebirds alone," the girl jokes, a Cheshire-like grin on her face. "Are you sure you two don't need a room?"

Raziel eyed the girl critically, not really paying attention to her words as he wondered if she was a threat. Her dark skin was a contrast to the white strapless she wore but what stood out the most were the twin buns on her head. If they were blond and had pigtails he swore she would have reminded him of someone else but couldn't quite place why that sounded so familiar. Still, Jinx seemed to know her so he relaxed his defenses somewhat. "And you are?"

"You can call me Bee," the girl answers, smirking to herself at the lack of any denial as she holds out her hand.

Looking at the outstretched hand, Raziel tentatively reaches for it and gives it a firm shake. "My name's..."

"Seth, are you hitting on my friend already?" Jinx interrupts coyly.

Raziel opened his mouth to retort but a squeeze on his hand told him that she had a reason for it so he held his piece. "Of course not. Why would I do that when I have you?" he smirks, playing along with her white lie.

'_So his name's Seth,'_ Bee notes, returning his handshake. "Pleased ta meet ya, Seth! I haven't seen you in these parts before," she adds, her eyes narrowing slightly at him.

"I just arrived in town recently and this lovely lady here," 'Seth' responds, wrapping an arm around Jinx's waist, "has been kind enough to show me around."

"He's with me, so don't worry about it," Jinx adds, 'cuddling up' to Raziel. "Remember what we talked about?"

"Yeah. Whoever it is, they seem to be searching this area for something. I've had reports of people scared out of their wits but no one's ever seen anything," Bee answers hesitantly, glancing every so often at 'Seth.' "You sure you want to do this alone? I could help..."

"No. The less people involved the better. You know what would happen if people found out. God knows it's hard enough to keep secrets at the academy."

"But Seth..."

"Isn't 'one of us,'" Jinx responds. "Trust me, he'll be more than enough 'help,' right?" she adds, winking at 'Seth.'

"...Of course," he answers, his curiosity now piqued by the brief conversation.

"Well," Bee states, looking at the watch on her wrist, "my people are still trying to track him and since we're all still here, let's go PARTY!"

Before he could protest, Raziel found himself once again being dragged to the dance floor, wondering what gods conspired against him.

T-T-T

Elsewhere, a giant squid gave a loud sneeze, which was surprising in itself since it didn't even have a nose to speak off.

T-T-T

"So, kids, are you the best this city has to offer?"

If one looked closely, you could see veins popping in each of the Titan's forehead (except for Starfire who simply glared) at the blatant insult to their skills.

"Titans, go!" Cyborg orders, firing his trademark sonic canon at the black-clad thief. The Titans swoop down on their prey from all sides, confident one man had no chance against four of the city's best heroes. Their confidence was shattered as the man known as Red-X started taking them down easily, his attacks somehow specifically countering all their abilities. Even Starfire's Tamaranian strength was no match for the bindings that suddenly wrapped around her.

Only Raven was left standing among the group, her eyes narrowing at the masked man before her. "I've got a lot of pent up frustration right now so you'd best stand down," she deadpans, eyes beginning to glow with power.

"Two of your members were too scared to show up and the three behind you aren't much of a threat. How much could you be?" he sneers.

"You have no right to speak of him that way," she growls. Charging at Red X, she lets lose a flurry of kicks and punches which were easily countered by one leg-sweep. The brief break in her concentration proved to be her downfall as Red-X raised his arms at her, the tell-tale glow of red on his hands signaling only one thing.

"Oh, s..."

T-T-T

"HIT THAT DANCE FLOOR, PEOPLE!" the DJ shouts as the crowd goes wild around him, the floor now full of people bumping and grinding and generally slamming into each other; all in all, a normal night for Club Meta.

"C'mon, Seth, you showed us you can dance!" Bee teases as she pulls on his arm. "Jinx's already there so go join her!" However, contrary to her initial impressions he was _much _stronger than he looked and refused to return to the dance floor.

"No. I've filled my dance quota for the night and I'd rather not waste anymore time," he gruffs. His eyes turned to Jinx as she gyrated to the music without a care in the world. He failed to see how she could be the same person he and the Titans had fought those weeks ago. Still, as much as he enjoyed the view, stepping back on the floor was _not_ an option given what had happened earlier.

"Suit yourself," Bee replies, shaking her head in disappointment as she joined the crowd.

Raziel gave a sigh of relief as he made his way outside the club. As he stepped outside the warehouse, he took in a deep breath, savoring the crisp night air around him. Already he could feel the mass of heartbeats slowly fading as he closed his eyes, recalling the mental exercises another pale-skinned girl had taught him, to find his center. Strangely enough, his thoughts began to fill with images of her and the letter X.

T-T-T

Red-X stood over his beaten opponents, indifferent to the glares the Titans were giving him. "Well, time for me to go. Thanks for the chip," he taunts, leaping off the building and seemingly teleporting away.

"Yeah, you better run!"

As her teammates each tried to break out of the custom traps, Raven struggled to pull off the x-shaped seal that covered her mouth, silently cursing the fact her more powerful spells required vocalization. However, the thing seemed to have bonded quite firmly with her skin and refused to come off, preventing her from even huffing in frustration. Resigned to the fact it was going to stay there for a while, she headed over to her teammates, hoping that one of them, once free, could do something about the blasted 'X'.

T-T-T

"Raz? Raz!" Jinx whispers as she gently slaps Raziel's face. Noticing that he had vanished she had assumed he would have gone outside. At first she was worried something may have happened but upon finding him in apparent slumber, she just gave a huff of irritation. _'Men. Always falling asleep.'_

"Hrm? Raven?" Raziel answers as he pulls himself out of his meditative state, the image of the goth girl still fresh in his mind's eye.

"No, try again," Jinx answered in an irritated tone. Even when she wasn't around, that girl with the blue cloak (she really couldn't say her name) annoyed her to no end. Sure they both normally dressed in dark colors and had abnormally pale skin but that wasn't any reason for Raziel to confuse the two of them. After all, she was prettier than _her_.

"Jinx? That was a quick dance," he notes as he straightens himself.

"Quick? You've been out here for over an hour!"

Raziel's eyes widened at that little revelation, not realizing he had lost track of time during that little meditation period.

"I hope you don't spaz out on me again. I need you at full strength for tonight. Bee's found out where he's headed so we need to hurry," Jinx replies nonchalantly. In truth, Jinx was more than a little worried. Whatever _it_ was, it was headed _there_. She could already sense something lingering in the air and it freaked her out. Even that girl's dark power didn't freak her out as much as this (although her lack of anything that wasn't blue did rate pretty high on her freak meter).

"You still haven't mentioned where we were going."

"You'll see," Jinx answers with her Cheshire-like grin as she starts to drag her unwilling cohort yet again.

T-T-T

"Ow! Ow! Raven, my hair!" Beastboy shouts as the pale girl tugged on the one goo-free part of his body, not willing to get stuck with the changeling.

Sighing, or at least trying to sigh given her state, Raven looked around at the rest of her teammates. Starfire's bonds were...troublesome. If the Tamaranian couldn't break out, what could she do without her powers? Cyborg was another matter. While she didn't consider herself exactly inept with technology, looking at the crisscross of circuits and wires in his back was enough to give her a headache. Even Cyborg's instruction didn't prove very useful as it _all_ looked the same to her.

Still, she had to get them free somehow as she wasn't exactly in the best condition to carry them all back. _'At least Raziel's not here to see this,_' she muses. '_Maybe this time I won't get shocked.'_ Reaching for the wires in Cyborg's back, she starts to follow the instructions the cybernetic teen gave.

"Connect wire A-24 to point Delta-1."

ZAP

Needless to say, the Titans would have been grateful for the X-shaped seal across Raven's mouth as she cursed in a way that would have made a quad-lingual sailor blush. As such it only came out as a loud series of mumbles.

T-T-T

Raziel shivered as he felt some immense rage wash over the whole city, but couldn't quite place why it felt familiar. From his hiding place in the shadows he could see an old and dilapidated building across the street but nothing which would explain the sensation he felt. Opening his mouth to ask what they were doing there, Jinx suddenly covers it with her hand and lets out a quiet shush.

Almost immediately, a figure could be seen in the distance walking down the street. While the cloak it wore over its head was enough to raise any suspicions, the fact it didn't make a sound as it moved unnerved Raziel more. As it neared the building, he could feel raw power radiating off the man. While not as ancient as the 'voice', it was still a daunting presence nonetheless. The man stops several meters away from them, head tilting in their direction. Raziel swore he could see a smirk on the man's face beneath the shadows of the cowl. _'Damn,_' he swore silently at their apparent detection. Looking to Jinx, he could see that she was shivering with fear; he could almost taste the fear roll off her.

Jinx, on the other hand, couldn't believe what she was sensing. The bloodlust was overpowering and had her petrified on the spot. She wanted nothing more than to run away than face this man. Just as she was about to bolt, a powerful hand on her shoulder suddenly drove that fear away, or at the very least made it manageable. She turned to her 'partner' to see him with a determined expression on his face. Remembering the reason why she came in the first place, she gave a brief nod to Raziel signaling she was ok.

The man now turned his gaze back to dilapidated building. Ever since he had arrived in this 'city' he had searched for his prey to no avail. Now, after 'persuading' some of the more primitive occupants of the city he had found some evidence of its presence and he wasn't about to let it go. He had sensed the two beings in the shadows but dismissed their presence as insignificant. But still, the fact they seemed to be observing him meant they could be potential threats and he would rather not go through the effort of killing them; he had better things to do with his time. "It's best you two simply leave if you value your lives. You should feel honored that I even bothered to even warn to you," he calls out.

Raziel grit his teeth at the arrogance the man displayed. Something about him just made his hair stand on end but he couldn't place what. Still, he could tell power when he saw it. Even in the man's 'relaxed' stance he could detect no opening whatsoever. Clenching his fist, he prepares to stand up to face the man, glancing at the girl first to get her reaction. "Jinx?" he hisses.

"You're right. It's useless if he knows we're already here," she answers back. Taking the initiative, she steps into the light of a street lamp, her expression changing from the one of fear earlier to her usual smirk. "Wow. A generous one, aren't you? I'm sooo impressed," she deadpans. "I'll assume then that you're here for what's in there?"

"Very perceptive, little girl," the cloaked man answers. "Now that pleasantries are aside, perhaps your friend would care to show himself as well," he adds in an amused tone, nodding towards the hidden boy.

Raziel stepped out of the shadows, all of his senses on overdrive as he watched for any signs of an attack. Glaring at the man, he takes position beside Jinx, his muscles tensing as he readied himself. "What..."

"There is no need for idle banter. You obviously know why I am here," the man interrupts. "Again, leave or suffer the consequences."

Jinx opened her mouth to retort but Raziel suddenly moves in front of her, a determined look on his face as she sensed him releasing his power.

"I don't know what it is you're after, but it's something that she clearly values. As I owe her a favor, you _obviously_ know what that means." Launching himself in a whirlwind of kicks and punches, Raziel barely hides his shock as the man easily avoids his attacks; the ease at which made it seem like he could see into the future.

Jinx, taking her cue from Raziel's lead, rushed directly behind the teen, using his body to hide from the man's line of sight as she charged up her energy bolts. Leaping into the air, she launches a volley of pink at the man who raised his arms to block the attack. _'Perfect,'_ she smirks.

Raziel watched the bolts slam into the pavement and instinctively leapt backwards, remembering the extent of Jinx's powers. Almost immediately the pavement collapsed into a small crater but the man seemed to have far better reflexes than either of them realized as he jumped off the damaged street seconds before the actual collapse.

"So, you truly wish a confrontation," the man drones in a tired voice. "Then so be it. You have sealed your fates." Reaching behind his back, he pulls out a weapon which until now had remained hidden within his cloak, power radiating off the blade like a miniature sun.

Raziel began to summon his own blade but froze as the man's sword glinted in the moonlight, the skull motif coupled with the wave like blade causing him to feel something he had not experienced since joining the Titans; dread. He couldn't quite understand why but something told him to be wary of any contact with the weapon.

The pink-haired sorceress saw her partner suddenly stiffen at the sight of the blade. It was the first time she had actually seen him react that way and with the amount of power the blade contained she couldn't blame him. Still, she had a job to do and couldn't let herself be beaten here. Launching herself at the man, she barely reaches him when he raises a hand in her direction, freezing her in mid-air.

"You are making this far too easy," the man drones, a smirk on his face as he watched the young girl struggle in the air. Approaching the girl, he grabs her head and turns it to the side as if checking a piece of meat. "A little too young for my tastes, but when one is pressed I suppose you will have to do. Nothing personal."

"Hey! Put me down, you pervert!" Jinx retorts angrily. In truth, she was shaking with fear as she felt the immense killing intent radiating from the man. With her head turned to her side, she couldn't see the man's face but already she could feel his warm breath on her neck.

"You will let her go!" Raziel growls as he grabs the man in a headlock. He would have run him through with his the Reaver but for some reason he felt uneasy summoning his wraith blade in the man's presence. Thus he had opted for a physical assault but even as he squeezed with all his might he could feel the man's steel-like muscles resist his best efforts.

"You begin to annoy me, _boy_," the man growls. Dropping whatever power he used to hold Jinx, he grabs Raziel by his head and forcefully pulls him off his back. The teen now struggling in his hand, he casually tosses him into the building he was guarding. As he slammed through the dilapidated wall, a child's scream could be heard coming from inside the structure.

"Tabitha!" yells Jinx as she runs towards the building. Even as she did so, a blur seemed to move in front of her and into the building. _'No!'_ She sprints towards the source of the scream, hoping she wasn't too late.

T-T-T

The girl huddled in a corner of a dark room. After hearing the crash downstairs, she screamed with fright and had pumped her little legs as fast as she could, finding solace as she locked herself in. From her spot in the shadows, she saw a grayish mist seeping under the door. The mist suddenly started to collect, finally solidifying into the form of a man. She wanted to scream but knew that it would betray her hiding spot so she curled as tight as she could in the corner, her hands over her mouth to try to stop herself from making a sound.

The man stopped as he turned his gaze to the girl huddled in the corner, silently amused that she thought she could hide in the darkness. Still, he was here for a purpose and could not let any insignificant thing as emotions hinder him. "Come out, child," he ordered. Grabbing her by her sleeve, the girl lets out a terrified scream, a sudden blast of psychic energy striking him in the chest. "So this is who you are," he smirks, shrugging off the ineffectual attack. "A pity you are still young." Touching his sword to the girl, his brow furrows as it resonated with the small human. "It is weakening."

As he drops the girl, a figure bursts through the floor in front of him, landing a powerful uppercut to his jaw which knocked him off his feet. With apparently superhuman reflexes, he flips mid-air and lands gracefully on his feet. Wiping the blood which trickled from his jaw, he grinned evilly as if he actually welcomed the hit. "Impressive, fledgling. You are the first one to touch me in centuries."

"Centuries?" Raziel smirks, trying to hide the pain running through is body. "Then obviously, you know what I mean when I say _Vae Victus._" In the blink of an eye, Raziel closes the distance between them, his wraith blade forming in his hand. However, before the Reaver even materialized his concentration was broken as a hand suddenly wrapped around his throat. _'I didn't even see him move!'_ Raziel thinks as he was slowly strangled.

"Where did you hear that, _boy?_" the man growls, tightening his grip on the teen.

"I believe the term is 'bite me,'" Raziel manages to rasp as his wind pipe was slowly crushed.

The man glared for what seemed like an eternity at the defiance shown by the boy before finally letting out a deep laugh. "You have no idea how appropriate your words sound. Be thankful you amuse me." With that he tosses the boy like a rag doll into a surprised Jinx who had just made it up the stairs, the two collapsing in a tumbled heap of arms and legs.

"JINX!" the little girl cries, running past the man to the pair of teens huddling beside them as the stranger approached the two. Jinx, reacting to the frightened girl's cries, fired off several bolts at the approaching man hoping one of them would hit.

The man simply slashes the attacks with his sword, somehow cleaving each bolt in two. "You both dabble in forces far beyond your comprehension. If you continue to _impede_ my efforts then I will be the _least_ of your concerns," he states, a serious look on his face.

Raziel's eyes narrowed at the man, the statement setting off warning signals in his head. "What do you mean?"

The man seemed to smirk underneath his cowl with that question. "Since you were so quick to judge my intentions earlier, I see no incentive to answer your query. Discover the truth for yourself, if you truly wish to know." With that, he suddenly dissolved into a swarm of bats that flew off into the night sky, leaving the three staring in disbelief.

"Did he just...?" Jinx stutters as she watched the bats fly out the window. Shaking herself out of her stupor, she finally untangled herself from Raziel and grabbed the little girl, a frantic look on her face as she checked her over. "Oh my God, Tabitha, are you ok? Did he hurt you?" she asks.

"Uh huh," the girl nods, obviously fighting back some tears. "He didn't do anything."

Jinx let out a sigh of relief, hugging the girl just as Raziel shook off his now multiple-concussion induced stupor. "Perhaps _now_ you can explain to me why I joined you to get my ass kicked," he rasps monotonously as he rubbed his sore neck.

Tabitha gave Raziel a wary look, hugging herself tighter to the pink-haired sorceress. Jinx gives him a long hard look before whispering to the girl who immediately beams and runs off somewhere.

Raziel looked puzzled at the interaction, more so as the girl suddenly ran off. "I never figured you for the mothering type. Aren't you a little young to have a kid?" he teases as emotionlessly as possible.

"It's _not_ like that, jerk!" Jinx retorts with an angry scowl before her expression turns somber. "I found her huddled inside a box, however cliché that sounds. You should have seen her, Raziel. Her eyes were so dead...I...I couldn't just leave her."

"Wouldn't she be better off in an orphanage or foster home? I mean, I don't think we're exactly the best people to..."

"Watch her," Jinx interrupts as she motions towards the small girl who was running back with a small white stuffed cat.

"This is Sabeena," the girl says softly, holding out the toy towards Raziel.

Raziel eyed the little doll with some skepticism. A sharp jab from Jinx, however, makes him play along. _'Blasted woman,'_ he growls to himself. "Nice to meet you, Sabrina. My name is Raziel."

"Razel," the girl repeats, struggling with the pronunciation of his name. All of a sudden, the cat leaps out of the girl's arms and floats over to him, slowly landing on his head in an overly cute fashion. "She says thank you," Tabitha whispers.

"Well...you're welcome, I guess." With that, the cat started to float off his head and back into the arms of the girl who then started to head towards another room.

"Now you know _why_ she can't go to any orphanage."

"That still doesn't explain why our mysterious guest came here, or what his interest in Tabitha is," he answers. "What are you hiding, Jinx? Recruiting a new member for the Hive?"

Jinx's eyes flash briefly with power but she resists the urge to smack her companion. "Look, the H.A.E.Y.P took me in when no one else would, Raziel. For that, I'll always be in their debt." Jinx pauses as she turned a watchful eye on Tabitha who was now carrying several other stuffed toys in her arms and gently placing them on a makeshift blanket. "But the Hive is no place for a little girl either," she adds sadly. "Honestly, I have no idea why he came here. For all I know, she could be his kid but if you saw how she looked when I first met her..." Her voice trails off as a painful memory came to mind but she soon suppressed it. "I don't want her wrapped up in our world, Raziel. I just want her to be...normal. No heroes, villains, whatever." _'Something I never had,'_ she muses quietly. "And before you ask, yes she's eating right. Courtesy of the ahem fair citizens of Jump City," Jinx adds, twirling a wallet in her hands.

Raziel gave a tired sigh at Jinx's statement and the fact that he had a pretty good idea where the wallet came from. It was clear she wasn't going to budge on the issue and he couldn't really suggest any alternative to their current situation. "Fine," he finally gruffs, throwing up his hands in surrender. "It's going against my better judgment but you really seem to care about the girl so I'll trust you on this."

"Aww, coming from you, that's really sweet," Jinx jibes, placing a quick peck on Raziel's cheek which caused the pale teen to blush slightly.

"What was that for?" Raziel deadpans, trying to hide the embarrassment in his voice.

"_That_ was for a very interesting date," the girl grins just as Tabitha runs over and plops herself on Jinx's lap.

"Are you two going to become a mommy and daddy?" the child asks in all innocence, causing Raziel to fall off his perch, his mind already confused over the 'date' statement.

"Well, I guess that's for Raziel to decide now, isn't it?" Jinx answers, giving the shocked teen a Cheshire-like grin.

Raziel gave the sorceress his patented 'Are you mad?' glare (which didn't really look all that different from his other glares), staring at her for a few moments before getting back to his feet. "I should head back. As far as the Titans know I'm bed ridden and after tonight, I know I will be," he grunts, trying to work some of the knots out of his back. "I assume my debt is paid? I don't think I could survive another one of your 'dates,'" he drones as he starts to walk away.

"Hmm, I'm not so sure. It was kind of a lame date and I didn't even get a goodnight kiss..." the girl teases back, enjoying the sudden freeze in Raziel's footsteps. "I'm kidding!" she finally giggles. "Yes, you're free to go, _dear_."

"Bye, Razel," Tabitha waves.

Jinx watches Raziel give a lazy wave as his figure starts to fade in the distance, a sad smile on her lips as she heard him grumbling about girls and their weird sense of humor.

"I don't always joke," she whispers, the little girl looking up at her self-proclaimed guardian with a puzzled look on her face.

T-T-T

Raziel arrived back at the tower and noticed that it was still as empty as he had left it, the team probably still on a mission. As he made his way to his room, he felt his strength slowly start to ebb, rationalizing that his injuries had finally taken their toll on his body. _'This just gets better and better,'_ he mirthlessly thinks. First was the 'warning' from his benefactor followed by his encounter with the stranger whose appearance more than coincided with the warning. The small girl also played some part in this which he had yet to discover but the need for rest started to overpower his need for answers as darkness claimed him. Or at least it tried to.

He had just started to doze off when several people started arriving in the Tower, the sound of their groaning echoing in the corridor.

"Man! It's not coming off!" Beastboy whined as he pulled at the red goo in his hair.

"Come, friend. I shall give you a...what is the word...haircut, yes?"

The four Titans entered the main hall, each with a frown on their face as they bemoaned their condition. Well, aside from the Starfire (who never really frowned as opposed to pouted) and Raven who currently had a huge 'X' plastered across half her face. As Starfire proceeded to cut away the sticky red residue from her companion's hair, Raven continued to grumble through her sealed mouth when Cyborg pulls the 'X' off like a band-aid.

"_( $#&! Could he have been any more gentle? I think I still have some skin cells alive!)"_ one of her more vocal sides shouts inside her head, sending out a wave of killing intent at the cybernetic teen who, luckily for him, didn't know how to sense it anyway.

"Sorry I wasn't able to help, team," Robin says as he joins them in the hall. "I had this lead on Slade but it turned out to be nothing but a dead-end."

"Ahh! My lovely locks!" the green changeling moans once again as Starfire finished her touch-up job. "What will all my fans think?"

The team starts to fall into a heated debate over what to do next when a voice suddenly interjects from the doorway.

"Can't an injured man get any sleep around here? I, for one, do not really care about someone's hairdo, although the use of Azarathian language was really quite informational," comes the dry retort. Raziel blinks as the rest of the Titans stare at him like they had seen a ghost. "What? Do I have something on my face?" he asks, wiping his cheeks just in case.

"Raziel! You are well!" Starfire beams, launching herself at the teen and wrapping him in a bone-crushing hug, not quite noticing the nervous tick that was suddenly forming on Raven's face.

"Starfire...air!" Raziel rasps, his face growing paler than usual.

Raven hid her smile as Raziel was bombarded with questions left and right. No one had expected him to wake up anytime soon but his sudden appearance had made her feel relieved. "Hey," she greets in her usual monotone, which earns her a smirk from the boy.

"Hey."

The rest of the night was spent bringing Raziel up to speed on their current case with Starfire pushing that he continue to rest despite his protests that he was ok. Raven, however, found the situation puzzling. Raziel was free of any injuries when she last saw him in his room but now he looked like he had tangled with Mammoth after running the decathlon twice. She could see the pain he hid with each movement and the tiredness in his face. There was also a bruise around his neck which looked surprisingly similar to the one she was hiding from the team and she had a fair idea of what could have caused his. He was hiding something and she intended to find out what it was.

After she put some cold compress on her face. That 'X' was going to leave a mark.

-To be continued-

A/N: Whew! At last, I've finished the chapter! Thanks to everyone who continues to read and apologies for the lateness. Real life commitments plus preparing for Anime North took up loads of my time which didn't leave much for writing. If anyone has any suggestions or comments, please feel free to leave some.

Omake:

"The name's Bee," the girl answers sticking out her hand at 'Seth.'

"B? Like B for boy?" Raziel asks.

"No, just Bee."

"B?"

"I said 'Bee'."

"Why?"

"Not 'Y'! Bee!"

A/N: Ok, I'm ending this now :p

Omake 2:

Slade held the three chips in his hand, his one eye staring at them with unbridled emotion.

"Sir, the preparations have been completed," Wintergreen answers as he stepped into the room.

"Excellent. You may leave now," Slade answers, dismissing his butler as he stared at the console in front of him. _'It is time,'_ he thinks to himself. Pressing a combination of keys, three slots open up which were shaped exactly like the three chips he held in his hand. Feeling slight trepidation, he inserts the chips into their respective slots which causes a large screen in front of him to light up, the words on the screen causing him to grin beneath his mask.

City of Heroes Issue 7: Successfully installed. 

"Excellent."

Omake 2a:

Feeling slight trepidation, he inserts the chips into their respective slots which causes a large screen in front of him to light up, the words on the screen causing him to grin beneath his mask.

Icha-Icha Paradise: The Game - Installed 

"Excellent."


	14. Acceptance

**Souls Entwined**

Disclaimer: After over ten chapters, this section has gotten kinda redundant but again, the only thing I own is the story. All characters (sans my own who surprisingly doesn't appear much) belong to their respective owners.

**Acceptance**

Raziel coughed up blood as he felt pain course through his body. After what happened on the roof of Wayne Tech, he knew that whatever was affecting him had something to do with Slade. _'Now I know how Robin feels about Slade,'_ he thinks mirthlessly as he dragged himself through the dark alleys of the city. He had a sinking feeling that it was also what caused Raven's earlier outburst.

As another series of coughs wracks his body, Raziel felt his knees give out from under him once more, his body falling bonelessly to the ground. _'Just...need to rest,'_ he tells himself as he started to feel lightheaded. As darkness started to claim him, he thought he saw a cloaked figure standing over him, two golden eyes staring at him from within the cowl's shadows.

-2 Days ago-

"DAMMIT!" Robin curses as he beats the stuffing out of the punching bag. All his leads against Slade had been nothing but false trails, the villain mastermind nowhere to be found. Taking a deep breath, he lets out a tired sigh as punching bag looked like it was ready for the trash heap. _'Time to get a new one, I suppose,'_ Robin groans. Wiping the sweat off his brow, he heads to the main hall where the rest of the team was enjoying some down time.

Raven, being Raven, sat in a corner reading a thick book and enjoying a cup of tea. Raziel, who had picked up Raven's habit of drinking tea, was lounging beside the window staring out at the ocean. Robin smirked to himself when he saw the boy stealing a few glances at their resident goth when he thought she wasn't looking. Ever since the Red X incident, Raven seemed to sticking to the boy like glue not letting him out of her sight. He could tell Raziel was more than a tad miffed at his somewhat constant shadow but somehow Robin felt the boy actually enjoyed her overbearing presence. _'Meh. To each his own.'_

Cyborg and Beastboy, the two Gamestation addicts, trash-talked each other as they played a riveting game of Mortar Combat. Starfire, however, was nowhere to be seen which caused Robin to worry.

Not that he was worried about her, of course (or so he told himself), but simply because she was about as predictable as a random number generator when it came to what she was thinking. Just like now.

"Friend, Robin!" Starfire beams as she glomps her best friend from behind. "I have been wishing to discuss with you the new movie that has just come out. Perhaps you would..." Before she could finish her sentence, the central monitor suddenly comes to life, the voice coming from the speakers causing Robin to growl out loud.

"Hello, Robin," comes the cool tone. "Still having trouble finding me?"

"Slade. How did you get this frequency?" Robin barks out. Only he and Cyborg knew the inner workings of the Titans tower which made Slade's intrusion all the more disturbing. The rest of the Titans had already dropped whatever they were doing and joined the de facto Titan leader in front of the screen.

"Well well, it appears the 'gang' is all here," Slade taunts. One could almost sense him smirking underneath his mask. His eye falls on one of the Titans who was standing at the back who glares back at him. "I see you decided to stay with the Titans. Not that I have any idea why. Did you enjoy your hospital stay?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Raziel answers back, the rest of the Titans eyes now on him as well.

"How forgetful we are, Raziel. But then again, your memory was never really your strong point, was it? No matter. It was of little consequence. Although you may want to fill up your paperwork next time."

Raziel's eyes narrow at Slade's words. He had never told anyone outside of the team about his missing memory and the fact Slade knew about it was unnerving. What unnerved him the most was that his intelligence network ran far deeper than anyone had realized and that his mysterious benefactor who paid his hospital trip was none other than the person before him (1).

"Enough talk! What do you want, Slade?" Robin growls, fighting the urge to punch the monitor as he stared at Slade's one visible eye.

"Such impatience from one who still hasn't discovered what it is I'm planning," comes the haughty retort. "I expected better from you. I'm very disappointed, Robin."

"I don't need to answer to you. When I catch you I'll..."

"But you won't," Slade interrupts. "If you haven't found me by now, I'm beginning to think you never will so I've decided to...even the playing field so to speak."

The Titans watch as the camera pans away from Slade and focuses on the men behind him, the troops removing a large tarp which covered some unknown device. Given it's egg-like shape, one would almost think it humorous were it not for the fact that it was made by one of the their greatest foes.

"I assume all of you know what 'chronotons' are?" Slade asks, the amusement clear in his one eye as he enjoyed the looks of horror on the Titan's faces as he mentioned the word.

Raziel, along with Beastboy, had confused expressions on their faces (for the changeling, even more so). From the looks of his teammates, he assumed whatever Slade wanted to do with 'chronotons' had to be bad, if not downright unhealthy for him. Thankfully, Starfire noticed their confusion and elaborated on the term.

"Chronotons are subatomic particles which are the basic building blocks of time. If I am not mistaken, the device we are seeing is a chronoton detonator, a machine designed to destroy the temporal component of the space time continuum."

"Very good, Starfire. It's refreshing to see some intelligence in the Titans for once," Slade taunts, drawing glares from the teenage heroes.

"Uhh...in plain english, Star?"

"It's stops time. Permanently," Raven clarifies for the green changeling, her brow furrowed as she imagined the devastation that would cause if it was triggered in the city. _'Everything would be displaced from time...'_

"TELL ME WHERE IT IS!" the boy wonder roars at the screen, the only response he got was a slight nod from Slade.

"You're a clever boy, Robin. I'm sure you and your friends can figure it out. But remember," he adds, waving a small remote in his hand. "You don't have much time."

The transmission ends abruptly, Robin slamming his fist into the console which caused a few sparks to fly. "Find it. Shut it down, take it apart, I don't care! Use any means necessary." As he walks away from the screen, he found his way blocked by Cyborg and Beastboy.

"Robin, you've got issues with Slade and for the good of the team, I think you should stay behind," Cyborg states, arms crossed as he stared at the de facto Titan leader.

Ignoring the argument behind him, Raziel activated the console and started to replay the transmission from Slade, trying to find any clues to the device's whereabouts. Raven came up beside him as well, eyes going over the video replay. "I see you had the same idea as well," he states.

"Someone has to think with a level head on this team," Raven responds dryly. "Find anything?"

"I'm not sure...I think I heard something in the background. It's faint but there was something there."

Raven proceeds to run the sound filters, taking out every foreground noise she could and amplifying the remaining background till a brief but deep sound could be heard. "Was that...?"

"A fog horn?" Raziel asks.

"I'm surprised you heard it. There are only a few places that could have come from. We could narrow it down to...What's that there?" she wonders out loud, spotting a blurred image reflecting off the device. Her train of thought is interrupted as Robin starts to bark out angry retorts.

"I made a _mistake_, Star. It won't happen again. I promise you." He turns from the Tamaranian, not noticing the hurt expression on her face when a second voice stops him.

"Before you go gallivanting off like some obsessive-compulsive ADD monkey, maybe you'd like to know where to look, first?" Raven calls out in her usual monotone. "Slade was sloppy with this transmission. I don't know what he was thinking but Raziel and I were able to narrow it down to somewhere near the water and..."

"Not much to go on, y'know," Beastboy jibes. "We're like, practically surrounded by water."

"Yes, that's what I thought too, but then there's this," Raven counters, zooming resolution onto the blur she spotted earlier. "If we run the sharpening algorithm here and then flip it around..."

"Pier 41!"

"The docks!"

"Which is right next to the water," Raven deadpans, giving the green changeling a flat stare as he blushed in embarrassment.

"Let's go, team. We've got a villain to catch."

T-T-T

The docks were quiet except for the sound of waves gently hitting the concrete barrier; the moon shining a pale light over the area. With nary a cloud in sight, it was the perfect sign of tranquility. Creeping around the building like he had done it all his life, Raziel seemed to blend in with the shadows like a wraith, his footsteps hardly making any sounds. As he reached the locked doors, only one word could describe what he was thinking.

"Quiet."

"What's that, Raziel?" Raven asks as she lands beside the teen.

"It's too quiet. Something doesn't feel right. I think we should..."

THOOM

"...do some reconnaissance." Raziel pinches the bridge of his nose in irritation as Cyborg blows open the warehouse door. "There goes the element of surprise. Are you sure these are your teammates?" he asks Raven who gave him a brief smirk.

"Yes, and they're your teammates too," she deadpans, suppressing 'Pinky's' urge to laugh but silently enjoying the banter with her mental sparring partner.

"Point taken. I suppose we should go join the 'kids'," he shrugs, mentally wondering if the Titans ever got charged with property damage or if there was some superhero disclaimer.

The Titans storm the warehouse, rushing in ready to kick assorted body parts and take down names. Or at least that's what they would have done had the warehouse actually been full of Slade's minions as expected. Instead, the warehouse seemed to have been vacant for quite some time. There was even a fine layer of dust which only the Titans had disturbed.

"What the? There's nothing here," Beastboy comments at the empty warehouse.

"Dammit! We're too late," Robin curses, slamming his fist into his palm.

"Not quite," Raziel answers as he peers into the shadows. Almost immediately, several dozen of Slade's ninjas appear around them, surround the teens in a circle. Even the beams above them were swarming with the villain's grunts.

Robin looks at the overwhelming odds but his face was a mask of dark determination. One could say he looked like he was ready to kill someone as he growled out his orders. "Take them down. All of them."

Raziel needed no further urging as he launched himself at the nearest group of ninjas. Not having fought them before as his other teammates had, he pulled his punches hoping to simply knock them out of the fight. However, as his fist lands on one's face, his eyes widen in shock as the man didn't even flinch at his attack. That one moment of shock was enough to distract him from the fight as he felt a kick to his stomach, the force knocking the wind out of him. It was followed up by a powerful blow to the back of his head which brought him to his knees.

His body acting of its own accord, he catches a punch aimed at his face and retaliates with a powerful blow which tore right through the android's chest. For a brief moment he felt horror at accidentally killing the man but the sparking wires which now protruded from the body made him realize why he couldn't feel any presence from the black-clad beings. Grinning at the fact he could now use his full strength, he prepared to let loose a full out assault when something tingled at the back of his head. Turning around, he could see several ninjas with energy blades approaching Raven from behind, the goth girl's attention still focused on the four in front of her. In an instant, he could feel his blood start to boil as his eyes suddenly glowed bright with power. "No..."

Raven, who had taken to the air, watched as Robin fought like a madman knocking down Slade's ninja troops. She frowned as she saw the crazed look on his face. _'So much for his promise,'_ she grouses. However, something else catches her attention as she heard a primal roar of fury. Turning to the source, her eyes widened with surprise as she saw a body fly towards her. "Hey! Watch it!" she growls as the ninja flies past her. When she sees it slam into an armed group that was poised behind her, she felt slightly ashamed at having thought ill of the act. Looking for her benefactor, she freezes in shock at the sight before her.

The goth girl now safe, Raziel turned to the other ninjas surrounding him as the Reaver started to materialize in his hand. Beneath his scarf, he grinned evilly as the soul blade hummed with power. One of the ninjas decides to attack him in a surprise move but he moved even faster, the wraith blade going right through the android's head. "I release you to the wheel," he whispers, enjoying the way the body seemed to twitch in an almost life-like death throe. Tossing the inactive android at its companions, Raziel's eyes began to glow even brighter as he felt a familiar bloodlust stir within him. What followed next was pure devastation.

The other Titans could only stand back in shock and a little bit of fear as the two whirling dervishes cleared the warehouse. One was a mask of rage, hitting anything that moved. The other had a cold look about him and moved like a natural-born killer, inflicting blows that would have been fatal had his opponent been human.

"Remind me to never get either of them mad at me," Beastboy jokes, hiding behind Cyborg's huge frame.

"Raziel..." Raven whispers, shocked at seeing this side of Raziel. It was as if he was a different person entirely, the precise moves he made which could only have come from years of experience. She grew worried as she realized how much the team didn't know about Raziel.

'_(You mean how much _you_ don't know?)'_ one of her constant companions snorted in her head which she vainly tried to ignore.

Ever since that incident in her mindscape, her facets had somehow been able to contact her freely without her calling a meeting of minds. Among the group, only this one had been more vocal than the rest and pestered her to no end. She felt something was changing with the emotional barriers she had erected long ago but a small part of her wondered if it was really such a bad thing. However, the fear of letting her father into the human world quashed any notions of living a normal life. Pushing her thoughts aside, she watches as the last of the ambush forces fall to Robin and Raziel's attacks. Robin was breathing hard, as if daring the broken androids to keep attacking. Raziel, however, seemed on edge as he looked at his handiwork. After a few tense moments, he suddenly spun on his heel and made his way outside the warehouse. Curious, she followed him outside and was surprised to catch him punch himself in the face.

Feeling the cool sea air blow over his face, Raziel tried to calm down as he could feel the same sensation he had when he was with Jinx at the club. He tried to tire himself out but if anything his exertions only served to excite him even more. Punching himself in the face, the pain was just enough to knock away the bloodlust which just refused to go away. Taking a deep breath to clear his mind, he failed to hear the soft footsteps of the one girl who probably understood his situation better than anyone.

"So what's with the masochistic streak?" Raven asks in her usual monotone.

To others, it would have seemed like she was making fun but Raziel knew that it was probably as close to showing concern for the goth girl. "It's...nothing," he answers, quickly berating himself for such a lame answer. She had seen his outburst earlier and with him hitting himself she probably thought he was losing his mind. _'I suppose in a sense that's right,'_ he thinks mirthlessly as he felt he was losing more and more of himself.

Raven gave a short sigh as she interpreted the gesture as an unwillingness to talk to her. "Look, I know I'm not as...easy to talk to as Starfire but I'm your...friend," she states, hesitating ever so slightly on the last word as she wasn't really used to saying it out loud. "If you need to talk about it..." Her voice trails off as she suddenly felt her face flush, averting her gaze from the pale teen before her. _'What brought _that_ on,'_ she wondered, not really used to being the one to initiate a talk.

Raziel blinked in surprise at the girl's offer. Whenever they were together, it usually involved one of three things: sitting quietly, a mental debate or taking some villain that was rampaging through the city. They never really 'talked.' It was usually the Tamaranian who offered to do some 'gluing' (or bonding, as he would correct her). Rationalizing she would be the one who could understand most what he was going through, he opens his mouth to answer when he felt a sudden tingling at the back of his neck. Before he realized it, his body had moved of its own volition and lunged towards the girl.

Raven started to wonder if it was such a good idea to try her hand at acting 'normal.' If the boy's shocked reaction was any indication, even _he_ seemed to find the act weird for her. Her wonder turned to shock and more than a fair share of embarrassment as the boy suddenly held her in a strong embrace. "Wha...what are you doing? Let go of me!" she manages to blurt out. Her emotions started going haywire with his touch, a flood memories from the last time she lost control suddenly coming to mind. She started to tremble with fear as she felt her powers activate, unable to close her eyes as she waited for the inevitable injuries and property damage that usually followed. However, instead of her powers blindly lashing out, she felt them being drawn into the boy, a dark shield suddenly covering the two of them as a large green ball of energy burst through the wall. Had the shield not been there, she was sure the two of them would be seriously injured. Her blood ran cold as she realized had the shield not been there, it would have been Raziel who would have taken the brunt of the blast. Amongst the multitude of jumbled thoughts, Raven finally realized something else; she hadn't created that shield.

Sensing the danger was past, Raziel let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding in; the shield itself dissipating before he even noticed it was there. With Raven still in his arms, he wisely moved away from the wall lest the Tamaranian let out another blast, not quite realizing he hadn't been harmed by the sudden explosion. "Are you all right?" he asks Raven as he gave her a concerned look.

Shaken out of her stupor, Raven immediately tore herself from the boy's grasp, a frightened look on her face as she realized how close she had come to losing control. Still, for some reason, her powers flowed directly into the boy instead of killing him. She knew that he could absorb her powers(2) but to be able to channel and suppress them so freely unnerved her. "How...?" she starts to ask before being interrupted by a third voice.

"Excuse me," Starfire apologizes from the newly created hole, her voice sounding strangely nasal.

"Starfire? What's going on?" Raziel asks.

"I am sorry. I think sniff there are some metallic Chromium particles in the air. One out of ten Tamaranians are allergic to them sniff. I did not expect such materials to be in a high enough quantity on Earth."

"Hold on, Star. What did you say you were allergic to?" Cyborg asks as he steps through the hole in the wall.

"Metallic Chromium. Why?"

"Because the whole warehouse is full of them. The Chronoton Detonator must have a component that's made of that stuff. And if you're allergic to it..." Cyborg starts to grin as he turns his gaze to their leader.

Robin's eyes narrowed as his mouth upturned in a smirk. "We've got ourselves a trail."

"HACHOO!!" BOOM

Moving in front of Raven, Raziel subconsciously grabbed her hand just as Starfire sneezed, not noticing the pale girl flinch just before the black shield manifested itself. Blinking in surprise, he turns to Raven with a curious expression. "You're quick with that shield," he comments. When he saw the shocked expression on her face, he suddenly grew puzzled until she raised the hand he was holding.

"That wasn't me."

T-T-T

"HACHOO!" THOOM

Raziel raised an eyebrow in mild curiosity as the shield held once more. Starfire's allergy was turning out to be more of a curse than a blessing but as it was their only clue to Slade's whereabouts they 'rotated with the punches' as he would imagine Starfire putting it. "Bless you," he says to the Tamaranian who nods in appreciation while sniffing loudly.

"Dank you. I dink da bomb is dis way sniff," she struggles to say with her stuffed nose.

Raven followed alongside Raziel, trying to ignore the constant giggling from tweedle-dumb and dumber and the rising blush to her cheeks. Cyborg insisted on keeping the two within physical contact while they followed the Tamaranian (for protection purposes, he claimed) but she was sure he had an ulterior motive for setting them up. In her mind, 'Pink' had insisted that they hug Raziel again as the boy was nice and warm but she easily suppressed that emotion, finally relenting to holding hands (Raziel's currently scorched appearance from the one time he wasn't touching her a major reason she had relented) while they followed Starfire. _'It's for the good of the team,'_ she mentally chanted to herself even as she already made plans to make Cyborg's life a living hell.

As the Tamaranian sneezed again, Raven felt a tiny bit of her power flow once more into the boy, the black field protecting her and everyone behind them. It looked like he was becoming more efficient in focusing her raw magical energy. She let out a tired sigh as her teammates all gave out 'geshundeits' to the orange-tanned girl, wondering how much longer they would have to keep this up.

Raziel felt the malevolent intent coming from behind him, shivering slightly as he prayed he would come out of this alive. He knew she wasn't exactly partial to physical contact but given Starfire's little allergy he had reluctantly agreed with Cyborg's suggestion. True, his involuntary reaction was much faster than any shield Raven could raise consciously but he was sure that reason would only carry so far. Fast healing or no, one did not get on Raven's bad side. Still, at the very least Raven's hand was warm and soft which made up for whatever uncomfortable feeling he had. He shook his head at the random thought, silently pondering why that had come up when Starfire began to yell from the distance.

"Der!" sniff

After a few seconds of trying to decipher her statement, the Titans just looked to where she was pointing. On top of a small speedboat lay the Chronoton Detonator, one of Slade's android flunkies apparently tuning the device. It spots the Titans and immediately guns the motor, speeding away from the teen heroes as they rushed to catch up.

"Let's go," Raven states. As she disengaged her hand from Raziel, she couldn't help but feel like something inside her was...disappointed. Once more exercising her iron control, she levitates Raziel with her powers as she follows the boat through the sewers. Racing after the speedboat, she summoned her powers to block several rounds of anti-aircraft fire which came from the boat's hidden guns. "Awfully overpowered for a small speedboat," she comments dryly.

Raziel however, had a different opinion. There wasn't _enough_ defense. For such a grand scheme of destroying time and space, it all seemed too easy. He would have laid several dozen troops in wait along with decoys; anything _but_ one speedboat and one soldier. His thoughts are interrupted when something large and gray bursts through the side of the tunnel, grabbing their de facto leader and slamming through the other side. "Raven!" Raziel shouts over the rumbling.

"On it," she responds, spinning around and heading back towards their fallen comrade. As she nears the hole in the wall, she could see Robin squaring off against the behemoth known as Cinderblock. She starts to set down Raziel when the boy wonder shouts from inside.

"Forget about me! The bomb's more important!" he barks as he avoids a large fist aimed at his head. "That's an order, Titans! Move!"

The Titans look at each other and with a reluctant nod they leave Robin to face the stone giant, zooming off after the Chronoton bomb.

Robin watches his team leave and lets out a brief sigh. Slade wouldn't win if he had anything to say about it. Turning to face Cinderblock, his eyes narrow at the villain who simply grunts in response. "Just to let you know, I'm having a _really_ bad day right now."

T-T-T

"Now, Raven!" Raziel shouts. With the turrets currently occupied with Cyborg and Starfire, Raven tossed him towards the boat, the Reaver glowing brightly as he sliced the guns clear off their mountings. Landing behind the android, his eyes start to glow as he points the spectral blade at his opponent. "You will stop the boat _now_," he ordered.

The ninja seemed to smirk beneath its faceplate, if that was even possible. Leaping at the teen, it proceeded to attack Raziel with blows that would have severely injured a normal man. Unfortunately for Slade's android, it was never designed to handle someone like Raziel.

Dispelling the Reaver, Raziel catches the offending android's fists in his hands. It struggled to pull them free but knowing what it was he was more than willing to exercise full power on it and wouldn't let them go. As it tries to kick itself free, he started to frown beneath his red scarf. "I'm not in the mood," Raziel growls. Pulling back one of his arms, he summons the Reaver and impales the robot with it, his arm bursting through the android's back. It twitched sporadically before falling limp, a few electrical charges running down his arm but nothing that he wasn't used to. Giving an arrogant smirk, he starts to pull his arm out when the robot suddenly grabs it in a vice like grip. "What the...?!" He doesn't get to finish his sentence as a shot series of beeps suddenly comes from the robot's chest cavity. "Oh, for crying...!"

"What's wrong?" Raven asks as she lands next to the boy. "Stop playing with it and let's get to work on the bomb."

His eyes widen with concern as the series of beeps got faster. Turning to Raven, who oblivious to the danger was giving him her typical flat stare, his eyes were filled with resolve as he gave her a weak smile. "Be right back." Leaping off the boat with all his strength, he takes the android with him as they plunged into the murky sewage.

"Raziel!" Raven shouts in an uncharacteristic show of emotion as the boat continued to speed off.

"What is wrong, friend Raven? Why did Raziel jump off?" Starfire asks as she sets down her heavy cargo.

"He jumped off with Slade's robot and..."

THOOM"

The force of the explosion could easily be felt even after the boat had traveled a good distance from where Raziel had jumped. The heat from the blast washed over her face even as the blood drained from it. "No," she whispers as she suddenly felt weak in the knees.

"C'mon, Rae. I'm sure he's fine," Cyborg says, placing a hand on his teammates shoulder. "You, of all people, should know how tough he is. Robin and Raziel gave us the chance. Let's make sure we don't make them mad for wasting it."

Still in a state of shock, she nods dumbly as Cyborg headed to the steering control to stop the boat, vaguely hearing the conversation between him and Starfire.

"Uh oh," the metallic teen gulps.

"What is wrong, Cyborg? That is an Earth saying for something amiss, yes?" the Tamaranian asks. As her metallic friend shows her the now broken steering wheel, she starts to sweat as one phrase came to mind. "Uh oh."

T-T-T

Just as the beeping sound seemed to reach a fervor pitch, Raziel pulled his arm free at the last minute, crossing them in front of his body in an attempt to shield himself from the imminent blast. With a resounding boom, the robot explodes with deadly force. He could feel heat and shrapnel tear through his costume and into his skin, the shockwave knocking him into the tunnel wall with a resounding crash.

Sliding down the wall, he gasped for air as his lungs felt like they were on fire after the fiery blast burned the oxygen in them. His senses temporarily disoriented, he failed to hear the silent footsteps which came from down the tunnel. As he tried to reorient himself, Raziel felt a powerful hand grip the front of his ruined scarf and lift him off his feet. Blinded as he was, the immense power he felt could only come from one person. "You..." he rasps.

"Yes, me," the voice replied in an amused tone. "Now, tell me about this 'Chronoton Detonator.'"

T-T-T

The boat continued on its course unabated despite Cyborg's best efforts to stop it. Finally giving up on the subtle approach, he smashes his fist into the dashboard, the boat finally giving a weak sputter as the motor starts to die. "Whew." Turning his attention back to the bomb, he searches for any panel where the control circuitry might be located.

"Have you actually disarmed a Chronoton Detonator before?" Raven asks in her usual monotone, suppressing the sudden outbreak of emotion from earlier. It made sense not to worry. Raziel wasn't one who would die so easily; a sentiment shared by many of her fractured selves.

"Nope, but how hard can it be?" Cyborg replies, trying to hide the trepidation in his voice as he finally located an access panel.

Raven blinks at her teammate, then blinks again as she watched him go over the bomb's circuitry. "We're all going to die."

T-T-T

"What is it to you?" Raziel gasps as pain continued to raze his body. Judging from the amount of injuries he had it would be probably a day or so before he could move again so he resigned himself to just insulting the man.

"Do not test my patience, boy. I will not have my millennia long journey be stopped by some mere mortal." Reaching for the sword strapped to his back, he unsheathes it as he lifted the boy higher into the air. "Now, I will not ask again. What is this 'Chronoton Detonator'?"

As much as he would have wanted to smash the man's face in, he couldn't see an opportunity to do so quite yet so he decided to comply for the time being. "It's a bomb. Designed... stop time permanently," he gasps, his lungs still protesting from being seared. The man appeared to freeze momentarily as his words seemed to strike a chord in him.

"I see. That will not do," he murmurs to himself. He knew the concept of what a bomb was but never had he heard of it being used in such a manner. _'This bears some looking into,_' he muses. He was so deep in thought he barely had time to sense the sudden power surge radiating from the teen.

'_Now!'_ Raziel thinks to himself as he finally found the opening he needed. Summoning his trademark wraith blade, he swung at the man with all his strength in an attempt to sever the arm the held him. However, given his injured state the man was infinitely faster than him as he blocked the spectral blade with his own sword, the two blades suddenly reacting with a spectacular flash of power. The backlash of energy forced the two combatants apart with Raziel landing unceremoniously on his back as the Reaver dissipated; its wielder no longer having the strength to maintain it. Struggling to get to his feet, he watched as the man looked at him with shock even as the cowl covered his facial features. However, for a brief instant, the man's image seemed to shimmer almost like a mirage (3).

Whatever image he saw was quickly forgotten as the cloaked man charges at him, slamming him up against the wall which sent a shockwave of pain throughout his whole body.

"Tell me, boy. How is it you wield the Reaver?" the man growls at him, golden eyes glinting beneath his cowl. "You can either tell me or I can find out myself." (4)

Raziel couldn't have answered him even if he wanted to. Somewhere at the back of his mind the answer lay just beyond his reach and it wasn't about to show itself anytime soon. Still, his face remained impassive as he stared at his captor, unwilling to let him have the pleasure of seeing him weak. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Very well, then. You have made your choice," the man states emotionlessly. With his free hand, he raises it at the boy's throat and points his palm forward.

Raziel suddenly felt like he was being torn inside-out as the man's hand curled like a claw. Suppressing the urge to scream, he tried to resist whatever power was at work but found it futile as he saw his blood start to flow from his wounds towards the man. _'Vampire...'_ he thought as he felt his body weaken even further. Just as his blood reached the man, he was dropped on the floor, a look of disgust on the man's face as he sheaths the wicked looking blade on his back.

"Your blood is tainted," the man snorts with disgust.

"You're one to talk about _tainted_, Vampire," Raziel growls weakly.

"Still have the strength to insult me, I see. Spare me your self-righteousness, boy. As I told you before, I am the _least_ of your concerns."

"Unfortunately for you, I'm _making_ you my concern," he retorts, his eyes flaring with power as he tried to get back on his feet.

The man pauses as he watched the eerie glow in the boy's eyes, his brows furrowing as more and more the situation confused him. "As much as you intrigue me, I have no time for this," the man grunts. "I have an appointment with a Chronoton Detonator and no one will stand in my way." With that, the man suddenly shot like a blur down the tunnel with barely a sound (5).

'_I have to reach them,'_ Raziel thought through the haze of pain. When he was with Jinx, the two of them couldn't handle the stranger and it worried him what would happen if he chanced upon the Titans. Forcing his limbs to move, he slowly shuffled his way through the sewers to find his teammates.

T-T-T

Cyborg looks at the exposed panel of the Chronoton Detonator with Beastboy playing multi-tasker, wiping the sweat off his brow while holding the disassembled pieces of the bomb. (6) _'It's always the blue wire. It's always the blue wire,'_ he chants like a mantra as he tried to determine how to disarm the bomb. _'BUT WHAT IF IT'S ALL BLUE!?!'_ he wanted to scream as his metallic hand started to shake from nervousness. It was bad enough when Starfire had nearly sneezed them to oblivion thanks to her proximity to the bomb's casing but now the timer was quickly counting down to zero and he had yet to find a way to disarm it.

"Like I said, we're all going to die," Raven deadpans, her heart somehow not into it as some small part of her now vehemently rejected all notions of dying. What that small part was she had yet to find out as it didn't seem to come from any of her 'known' aspects but in any case she was prepared to throw as powerful a shield as she could muster around the bomb should Cyborg fail. Whether or not that would actually work was another question but she would try.

Finally deciding it was all or nothing, Cyborg decides to cut one of the wires and reaches in with his hands when Raven suddenly pulls him back. "Wha? Hey!"

"Something's coming," she answers, looking towards the tunnel they came from. Almost immediately a cloaked figure seemed to coalesce from a swarm of bats, a cloaked man appearing right in front of the Chronoton Detonator. In that instant, Raven suddenly felt a huge chill run down her spine as if she was staring death in the face. In all her years, she had never felt such a presence before. Her father was an exception, being demonic, evil incarnate and all that but this was the first time she had felt the pure killing intent of a predator. The only other time she felt anything similar was from Raziel but even he hadn't radiated anything this powerful.

"Who are you?" Starfire asks through her stuffed nose, her warrior instincts also warning her of the danger of this man.

"You are the humans who accompanied him," the man states rhetorically, not seeing it fit to give them his name. They were mere babes in his eyes but each radiated power far beyond any normal human. The pale-skinned girl in particular seemed to possess an otherworldly aura about her which unnerved him. _'She could pose a problem,'_ he muses. What intrigued him the most was that she had _his_ scent on her, moreso than the rest. His musings are cut short as a sharp series of beeps starts to sound from the bomb behind him, causing the children around him to panic.

"Ahhhh! I'm too young and handsome to be frozen!" Beastboy wails as he started running around in circles.

Raven starts to cast the barrier spell but to her surprise the man suddenly reached for the sword strapped to his back and slashed at the Chronoton Detonator, the sword seemingly 'howling as he sliced the device into several pieces. The power radiating from the weapon nearly caused her eyes to bug out but what caught her attention was that the energy felt 'familiar.' She doesn't get to analyze it any further as the man re-sheathes the weapon, the energy fading slowly into the background.

"This is the machine which can stop time?" the man sneers. "Even Mobius had more power than this pitiful machine." With his objective no longer relevant, he turns to the four teens behind him which caused them to flinch, his gaze resting on the cloaked girl. "What is your relation to the boy? How does he wield the Reaver?"

At the mention of his trademark weapon Raven's expression immediately changes from one of uneasiness to focused determination. "What did you do to Raziel?" she demands in her typical monotone, drawing a shocked look from the man.

Now he was certain something was definitely working behind the scenes here; there were simply too many coincidences to disregard the theory forming in his mind. Before he could ask further or even answer the girl's question, he noticed something rising behind the teens which caused him to scowl. _'Yet another of the infernal machines.'_

The Titans, still in shock over what happened and distracted by the sudden appearance of this stranger, failed to notice the gun which popped up behind them until it was too late. The gun, locking on to the five targets in front of it, fired off a series of blasts which knocked their targets into the water; all but one, that is.

His eyes narrowed at the gun emplacement as it popped up on the bow of the boat. Transforming into mist, the shot passed harmlessly through his immaterial body as he charged at the weapon. Solidifying himself once more, he decapitated the gun with a swing of his sword, the blade cutting through it like a hot knife through butter. Looking at the four teens floating in the water, he gives a snort of disgust at having wasted his time playing with children.

Sputtering out the foul sewer water, Raven turned her gaze to the stranger only to see him break apart into a multitude of bats, the swarm flying out of the tunnels like the proverbial bat out of hell. Now, it appeared Raziel's fears of becoming a Vampire seemed all too justified and it worried her. Looking to her teammates, she found that she was the only one who saw the man fly off as they had just popped their heads out of the water.

"Bleah! What just happened?" Beastboy asks, a disgusted look on his face as he tried to get the awful taste out of his mouth.

"You mean besides the freaky dude we just encountered? Nothing, apparently. That 'Chronoton Detonator' was a dud. Even that gun didn't do anything to us as far as my internal sensors can tell. Now where did that guy go?"

"So if we're 'fine', then what exactly was Slade up to?" Raven asks, keeping her theory about Raziel to herself for now while levitating herself out of the water. _'I am going to need a long hot bath,'_ she notes, wrinkling her nose in disgust at the smell now attached to her. "I'm going back for Raziel," she states before flying off towards where she had last seen the goth boy.

"I will join you, friend Raven!" Starfire calls out as she zooms after the Azarathian girl.

Beastboy, transforming into a bird, follows the two girls leaving Cyborg with the wreckage of the bomb. Sighing to himself, he climbs back on the boat and starts examining the pieces when he noticed something amiss with the detonator.

"Where's the core?"

T-T-T

Raziel didn't know what was going on. Normally his body would have healed up enough to allow him greater movement but it seemed as if his condition simply kept on getting worse as time dragged on. Each step he took sent waves of pain throughout his whole body. It was only his willpower keeping him up at that point and even then he knew he couldn't keep it up indefinitely. Still, if that man was headed to the Chronoton Detonator, who knew what he would do if he found the rest of the Titans. His breath ragged, he leaned against the tunnel wall trying to regain his strength when he heard a voice call out his name.

"Raziel!" Raven yelled out as her eyes scanned the tunnels for any sign of the boy. While Cyborg had reassured her that the boy would be fine, something inside her sensed something was amiss. They had traveled so far she wasn't sure where he'd actually jumped off. To her relief, she saw his figure leaning against the wall of the tunnel. As she neared him, her worry returned tenfold. All over his body were numerous burns and lacerations, signs of being too close to an explosion. Rushing to his side, she positions herself underneath his arm, supporting him as she felt his whole weight push down on her. "What happened to you?" she whispers, trying to keep the shock and worry out of her voice.

He felt the person catch him just before his knees finally gave out. His vision still blurry from the explosion, he could only make out a faint outline of the person but the glowing white aura around it seemed almost surreal. He could feel himself mutter some words, which were probably words of thanks or something similar, before darkness claimed him.

T-T-T

Opening his eyes, he found himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. _'No, scratch that. I _do _recognize it,'_ he tells himself mirthlessly. It was the medlab of the Titans Tower. He'd woken up here more times than he'd care to remember. As he tried to get up, he winced in pain as he felt his entire body protest at any movement. Letting out a sigh of irritation, he mentally went through the exercises to block out the pain when a muffled voice off to the side caught his attention. He was surprised to see a tangle of red hair laying on the side of his bed, the poor girl looking like she had spent the night at his side. Suffice to say, he felt somewhat warm and fuzzy by the act since he couldn't quite remember the last time anyone had shown that much concern for his well-being. (7) Still, as guilty as he felt about letting the girl sleep in such an uncomfortable position he wasn't exactly partial to warm and fuzzy so he gently shook her shoulders to wake her up.

"No, mother. I do not require another bowl of gorsh(8)," Starfire starts to mumble in her sleep.

"Starfire," Raziel calls out with a raspy sound, flinching as his throat still felt like it was on fire. The Tamaranian slowly raises her head, turning a bleary eye towards him as she seemed to still be half-asleep. However, her eyes shoot wide open as she finally realized he was awake.

"Friend Raziel!" she cries out, lunging forward and grabbing the pale teen in a bone-crushing hug, tears falling down her face as she sobbed into his shoulder. "I thought I had lost another friend."

"Star! Air!" he rasps, pain now radiating from both his throat and his ribs. As he struggled to pry the Tamaranian off, the familiar hiss of the automatic doors catches his attention, his eyes widening in surprise as a blue-cloaked figure walked into the room.

Raven froze at scene before her, nearly dropping the cup of tea she had in her hand. "R...Raziel. You're awake," she stutters. "A...about time, too. Starfire can brief you on what's going on."

Raziel thought he could see dark rings underneath Raven's eyes but before he could ask her anything the girl had spun on her heels and left the room, leaving a puzzled Starfire hanging off Raziel. "Star, what did she mean by that?" he rasps, forcing himself to speak despite the pain. He could see Starfire's mood dampen considerably as she slowly detached herself from him. Her eyes were downcast as she started to tell him what had happened while he was unconscious.

"Robin is missing."

Starfire told him about how the bomb turned out to be a dud and that when they went back for him and Robin, the boy wonder was nowhere to be found. They tried scouring the city for any sign of him but all their efforts proved futile. Cyborg surmised that the bomb was never really a bomb but bait to lure Robin out as it lacked the actual core. Whatever Slade's plans were had nothing to do with Chronotons and everything to do with their missing leader.

"But it is good that you are well now," she adds. "It took much persuasion to get Raven to leave your side and get some rest herself."

Raziel was shocked at that little revelation. He didn't really expect Raven to be so concerned for his well-being. That would explain the eye-bags he saw on her face. As he made a note to thank the girl, Starfire's communicator went off.

T-T-T

As she walked back to her room, Raven's eyes were downcast as she silently berated herself for her reactions. _'Idiot. You have no reason to be jealous. There's nothing between you and Raziel so stop moping. He was probably delirious when he said that earlier.'_ She stops for a moment, taking a deep breath and staring into her tea as she suppressed her emotions once more. _'First time someone's called me that,'_ she thinks mirthlessly. Her somber mood is broken as her communicator starts beeping.

" Titans! We've got a break-in at Star Labs! Move out! " Cyborg orders. With Robin gone, the metallic Titan had taken over the leadership role but she knew he didn't like how he had ascended to the position.

Sighing at being unable to even finish her tea, she phases through the floor, teleporting her mug to the kitchen as she went to meet her teammates. Having the advantage of phasing through walls, she was the first one to meet up with Cyborg as he prepped the T-car. Beastboy soon joined them but when Starfire flew in supporting an obviously injured Raziel she felt a twinge of anger at the Tamaranian for letting him out of bed. Seeing the Tamaranian give a sheepish shrug, Raven realized that it was probably Raziel who had insisted on coming along. She really had to get him to learn that fast healing or no, he needed rest.

"All right, now that we're all here, let's go take down Slade. Titans Go!" The Titans head out towards Wayne Tech, the familiar catch phrase somehow not quite the same without Robin saying it.

T-T-T

"Put down the blaster. You should know better than to steal in this city, Slade," Cyborg states, leveling his sonic canon at the figure. They were lucky Slade had taken his time going through the building. When they figured out what he was after, it was a simple matter of making sure they had him cornered. "This is the only way you're getting out of this room so we can do this the easy way or the Titans' way," he adds, jerking a thumb at the doors behind him as the rest of the Titans descend from their hiding place.

The armor-clad figure seemed to freeze slightly at the veiled threat, his gaze lingering on Raziel as the Titan was giving him an intense look of consternation. As one of them took a step closer, he immediately broke into a mad dash away from the Titans.

As the Titans give chase, Raven noticed that their target moved with uncanny agility as he ran across the roof, his movements reminiscent of someone very close to them. With the moon still hidden by the clouds, she could just barely make out the "S" symbol on the man's chest in the darkness. However, Raziel had zipped past her with a serious look on his face. What followed next surprised the rest of the team.

"Robin, stop!"

Raven gives the boy an incredulous look but when the 'man' actually froze mid-stride she herself started to wonder what the hell was going on.

"You 'feel' the same," Raziel continues as if answering her unspoken question. "Unless you're some evil-dimensional counterpart, you carry Robin's soul and no amount of hiding in the shadows can hide that," he states matter-of-factly. The rest of the Titans had heard Raziel's little spiel and were all shocked but didn't really know what to make of it. It fell to their Tamaranian friend to voice their thoughts.

"Robin?" Starfire calls out hesitantly, slowly floating towards the boy.

The clouds had now begun to part, the pale light of the moon shining over the group. What met their eyes was something which even the normally stoic Raven couldn't believe. Standing before them _was_ Robin, their leader who had been missing for several days now. However, instead of his trademark green and red suit he now wore the dark colors of Slade, his costume making look like a younger version of one of their greatest foes.

"Taken a new tailor, I see," Raziel comments dryly which raised a few eyebrows among his teammates. "Can't say I care for the style but it's a definite improvement over your usual attire." He watched Robin flinch at the accusation, internally smirking at getting the reaction he needed but after hearing a slight buzzing sound he suddenly saw Robin's eyes narrow. There was also...hesitation or was that frustration? He saw _something_ flash briefly across Robin's face but it quickly vanished.

"Robin? Why are you...?" Starfire starts to ask. Much to her surprise, Robin tossed an exploding disc at her, the shockwave knocking her back before she could get close to him. The shock wasn't so much physical as it was emotional as she looked at her friend with hurt and confusion. Frozen to the spot, she almost didn't notice Raziel kneel beside her.

"Are you all right?" he asks the girl, his eyes never leaving their former leader. Noticing Starfire was still in shock, he reached out to shake her shoulder when all of a sudden his body was racked by a series of coughs. It felt like he was coughing up his organs but it wound up serving the same purpose, shaking the Tamaranian out of her stupor.

Seeing Starfire was ok, Cyborg now focused his attention on their erstwhile leader. "Yo, what's your problem, Rob?" he asks angrily. Rushing forward, he stops mid-stride as Robin fires the stolen blaster at the walkway, the concrete structure collapsing to the street. Unable to cross the gorge, Cyborg could only watch as his friend blended in with the dust and smoke, leaving no sign of where he had gone. "Dammit!" he growls, slamming his fist into his palm. With nothing left to be done here, he signals for the team to return to the tower. They had much to think about if Robin was now working with Slade.

Raziel started to stand on shaky knees, the coughing spell seemingly over as he wiped his mouth. Starfire (and Raven when she thought he wasn't looking) gave him a concerned look which he assuaged with a nod. With their target no longer in the area, Raven levitated him alongside her as they headed back to the Tower. He was thankful that his scarf was a deep red color as he discretely looked at the hand which covered his mouth, frowning as he felt he warm liquid run over it.

'_Blood.'_

T-T-T

"Here's your damn blaster!" Robin growls, tossing the stolen weapon to Slade.

Deftly catching it without even looking, Slade turns his one good eye on the boy, a gleam of approval showing on it as he started attaching components to the blaster. "Careful, Robin. You wouldn't want such delicate device to be destroyed so soon after you stole it now, would you?"

"This can't last forever, Slade. One day, you'll let your guard down and when you do..." he counters, letting his voice trail off at the implied threat.

"But you won't," Slade replies with his condescending voice. Pushing a button on his arm, a large screen comes to life, the vital signs of the entire Teen Titans from Starfire all the way to their newest member visible for all to see. "Not while the nano-probes are in your _former_ friends," he adds, with emphasis on the word 'former.' "And if you're lucky, they may even live for decades without ever knowing." Finishing with the modifications, he turns back to his apprentice and attaches the blaster to his wrist. "Now you're going to keep stealing and you're going to keep enjoying it like I know you do. After all, we're so very much alike."

"We're nothing alike!" Robin growls, spinning on his heels and leaving Slade alone in the hall.

Once the boy was out of earshot, Slade pressed another button on his wrist remote, the display for Raziel was suddenly overlaid with red, his life signs still strong but slowly dropping. "It appears my choice for an apprentice was correct after all," he says to himself.

"Why is that, sir?" Wintergreen asks, stepping mysteriously out of the shadows.

"Raziel is definitely the superior over Robin. With _proper_ guidance, he could have surpassed even myself," Slade answers, motioning to the display panel, "However, he might have proven to be too...defiant. All of your investigations have shown his dislike for being coerced, correct?"

"Yes, Sir. I was unable to find any records of his existence so everything we have is based on observations by our operatives. Is that why you infected him with the prototype Mark II nanoprobes, Sir? I was curious why you had me install them in the android guarding the Chronoton detonator."

"His...unique...constitution would have rendered him almost immune to the regular nanoprobes. The Mark II will ensure that he won't interfere with my apprentice...ever." Looking back to the monitor, Slade had a curious look on his face as he watched Raziel's life signs slowly dip. _'What intrigues me most is the fact he should have been dead hours ago. Could the probes be malfunctioning?'_

T-T-T

"I tell you, Robin's been turned into a mind-controlled servant of the undead!"

"For once, you actually made some sense, Beastboy but if he was being mind-controlled, I'd know," Raven answers, looking to the side with her eyes downcast.

"And my scanners say he's a 100 match biologically so that shoots down your robot replica theory. That's our Robin."

"Lies! That is not our Robin!" Starfire counters hotly, drawing stares from the rest of her teammates. "Robin would never leave us or join with Slade! He would never..."

"Look Star," Raven interjects. "None of us want to believe it's him but you heard what we said. He's not mind-controlled and that's not some fake. It's Robin. And he's become a criminal. As much as we wish it wasn't true, it's the Titans job to take him down."

Starfire opened her mouth to retort but she couldn't really find any logical argument to her best girl friend's statement (although if one really thought about it, her only girl friend). As her shoulders drooped, she felt tears start to well up when her newfound friend suddenly coughed from the side.

Raziel watched the scene before him with feigned disinterest. Both theories, in a sense, seemed right. Raven was right that it _was_ Robin. Even _he _could confirm it was the boy wonder they encountered. However, something felt off when he saw the Titan leader; especially that instance when he seemed to hesitate about something. His thoughts are interrupted, however, by another series of coughs.

"Raziel, are you all right? You have been coughing heavily since you awakened. Should we not take you to a doctor?" Starfiire asks. Before the she could get a response out of the teen, the main screen behind her flares to life as it reported another break-in at a different location.

"It's him," Beastboy surmises, a grim expression on his face as he turns to face the teen.

As Raziel started getting up to follow the team, a wave of dizziness suddenly washes over him, his hand shooting out towards the breakfast stand to steady himself. Ever since he woke up, there was this constant pain and nausea that wouldn't go away. Using the same mental exercises Raven had taught him, he pushed the pain away and ran after the rest of the team.

T-T-T

Arriving at the scene, they caught Robin just as he slipped out of the shadows towards the experimental nano-computer. Moving to block the only exit to the room, they started to corner the boy-wonder hoping he would give up quietly or at the very least explain his actions.

"Look, Robin. We just want to talk," Cyborg starts to negotiate when the boy suddenly does a backflip, somehow knocking aside an air grate and slipping inside. Blinking his one good eye, he shakes himself out of his stupor as he barks out orders to the rest of the team. "To the roof, people!"

As Cyborg, Starfire and Beastboy rush to the stairs, Raziel gave Raven a silent nod, the goth girl nodding in reply as she wrapped the two of them in her dark powers, phasing them directly to the roof. Easily beating the rest of their teammates to the roof, the first thing they saw was Robin seemingly speaking to someone, his hand pressed to his ear.

"It's too heavily guarded. I'll have to come back later. But...! All right. Just..." he stops mid sentence as the stairwell doors slam open. Spinning on his heel, he takes a ready stance just as the Titans burst through the door.

"So Robin, a case of schizophrenia?" Raziel jibes, hoping no one noticed how his movements had slowed due to the pain. He watched as Robin glared at him and started to react but suddenly stop himself. _'There it is again,'_ Raziel notes, wondering what was making the boy stop.

"Look, Rob. Whatever it is, we'll work it out as a team," Cyborg offers, his hands open in a gesture of peace. When Robin suddenly knocks him back with a flying kick, the whole team knew that words would no longer serve any purpose.

"Guess it's time to show you again _why_ I'm called 'Beast' boy," the green changeling taunts in an uncharacteristically serious tone, morphing into a huge gorilla and charging at his former leader. Slamming his giant fists, they easily cracked the concrete roof. Unfortunately the roof wasn't his target. Looking to the sky, he saw Robin hanging off the building's signage. Beating his chest, he makes his way up the sign ready to take down the boy wonder.

Raziel watched as the two Titans duked it out, unwilling to interfere just yet as something just felt wrong about the situation. As Beastboy was easily incapacitated by Robin, the former Titan landed in front of him and started to attack with a vengeance. However, Raziel easily catches Robin's fists, immobilizing the teen as his eyes narrowed at the small object in his ear. He could hear have sworn he saw Robin flinch just as a sharp sound came from the object. It sounded like a voice but before he could listen further a knee came rising up, landing on his gut which caused him to cough up a surprising amount of blood.

Robin was struck by a wave of shock as he saw Raziel suddenly coughing up blood. He knew there was no way such a blow could have hurt the boy given what he knew of the boy's unnatural endurance. Backing away from the teen, he could hear his new master 'praise' his brutality and order that he finish the job. Hesitating slightly, he moves to try to at least knock him unconscious but Starfire suddenly imposed herself between him and the pale teen.

"Robin," the Tamaranian says as her starbolts charged in her hands. "Please, do not make me fight you. You are my friend and I..." Seeing Robin aim the blaster at her, she dispels the starbolts and lowers her hand, giving the masked boy a gentle smile. "If you have truly turned evil, then I do not wish to be in a world where we must fight." Closing her eyes, she failed to see the conflict on Robin's face as his hand started shaking. Then the pain struck.

Raven, who was trying to assess the damage Raziel had taken, suddenly doubled over in pain as she felt like her insides were on fire. She could barely form a coherent thought as she suppressed the urge to scream. Cracking open an eye and saw the rest of her teammates hunched over as well, a faint glow around their bodies as they writhed on the ground. Off to the side, she saw Robin with a prone Starfire in his arms, a look of fear on his face as she writhed in his arms.

It was the lasts thing she saw as the pain intensified, her iron control breaking as a black bolt of energy lashed out from her body and knocked down one of the building's letter signage. _'No...stop it!'_ she wanted to cry out. Vainly trying to contain her powers, the haze of pain simply made it impossible to perform even the simplest of mental exercises. As her powers started to flare again, a feeling of dread overcame her as she realized there would be nothing to stop the chaos it would cause. However, a pair of powerful arms suddenly wrapped themselves around her just as her powers went haywire. Much to her surprise, there was none of the death and destruction she had expected. Before the pain caused her mind to go blank, she was able to catch a glimpse of a familiar red scarf flutter across her face. _'Raziel.'_

Fighting the pain which had now intensified from earlier, Raziel saw Raven curl into a ball, her eyes glowing brightly as her mouth opened in a silent scream. Looking at Robin, the shocked expression on his face was enough to confirm that the boy wonder was not the one who caused it but it didn't mean he was going to let it slide. However, when Raven's powers suddenly flared outward and started destroying her surroundings his priorities immediately changed.

Rushing to the fallen girl he wraps his arms around her protectively hoping that what he had in mind would work. As he had hoped, her powers flowed directly into him instead of lashing out indiscriminately. Already he could feel the raw power welling up inside him. _'How much power does she have?'_ he thinks frantically as he felt her powers start to overwhelm him. For all his newfound abilities, he still had limits and with his weakened body he wasn't sure how long he could keep this up. Keeping the girl close, he summoned the Reaver to the forefront, the ethereal blade crackling with dark power as the energy inside him struggled to burst free. Raising his arm, he let out a scream as he the energy was forcefully (and painfully) discharged through the Reaver, a column of darkness rising towards space.

After what seemed like an eternity, the pain vanished almost as suddenly as it appeared. As he felt Raven slump bonelessly in his arms, he feared the worst but the steady beat of her heart as she lay against him made him sigh with relief. Although her breath was ragged, she was alive and that was all that mattered to him. He blinked at that sudden thought, not really knowing where it came from. He didn't have time to ponder it further as his strength left him, the Reaver dissipated as his power was no longer able to maintain the weapon's physical manifestation. This proved to be a bad thing as Robin suddenly landed in front of him, muscles taut as he drew back a fist.

"I'm sorry," the teen mouths to him before everything went black.

T-T-T

Raven awoke with a start, her face pressed against the cold concrete roof. Immediately sitting up, she saw the rest of her teammates similarly awakening with groans of pain slash grogginess.

"Ok, since when was Robin able to do that weird glow thingy?" Beastboy asks as she shook the cobwebs from his addled brain.

"I don't think that was Robin," Cyborg clarifies as he checked his internal systems. "I think we need to head back to the Tower." The rest of the team nods in assent as they get to their feet. One question from a red-haired Tamaranian, however, caught the entire group's attention.

"Where is Raziel?"

Raven's eyes immediately widen as her head whips around, searching for any sign of the boy but they were the only ones on the rooftop. She immediately levitates above her teammates, hoping higher ground would allow her to find him. To her worry, there was still no indication of where the teen was.

"C'mon. If Raz still has his communicator, we can track him from the Tower," Cyborg states.

Starfire joins her female friend in the air as they fly back to their headquarters. Pulling up beside the dark girl, she noticed a dark stain on her friend's cape which caused her to float to her side. "Friend Raven, you are hurt?"

Raven froze in mid-air as she looked at the dark red splotch on her cape. Placing a hand on the spot confirmed that there wasn't any injury which caused her eyes to widen. Chanting her familiar phrase, dark energy wraps around her as she suddenly shot like a bullet towards the tower, leaving her Tamaranian friend chasing after her.

"Friend Raven!!"

T-T-T

"Nothing. Wherever he is, his locator isn't showing up on our sensors," Raven states, fighting the urge to scream in frustration. "Something doesn't feel right."

"That's not the only thing that isn't right," Cyborg adds, switching the display to show a microscopic readout. "When all of us got the same symptoms I ran a full diagnostic scan on all of us. This is what I found." On the screen they could see tiny machines attached to each and every blood cell, seemingly harmless but a tiny engraved 'S' could be seen on each device. "My diagnostics didn't find them the last time 'cause they were set to the microscopic scale. These things are at the nanoscopic level."

"With this kind of technology, Slade could have destroyed us whenever he wanted..."

"EWWW! GET 'EM OUT! GET 'EM OUT!" Beastboy yowls, cutting off the Tamaranian's statement as he started running around the room frantically.

Raven ignored the antics of Beastboy, her eyes focused on the screen as she finally realized what caused her to lose control earlier. Looking at her hands, she suppressed an involuntary shiver at the thought of billions of those things inside her, ready to kill her at a moment's notice. Her thoughts were interrupted by Cyborg voice, his tone suddenly grim.

"Raven, about that blood sample you brought back. You were right. It _is_ Raz's," the metallic Titan confirms. "But there's something else you ought to know." Pressing a key on the control panel, the display changed to show a picture of thousands of blood cells. However, this one had two major differences. One, the nanobots looked much different from the ones earlier. Two, many of the blood cells in the display were a dark shade of gray instead of a deep red. The Titans watched the tiny invader floated around the dead cells towards a healthy one, instantly latching on to the red corpuscle and glowing with a pale amber color. Within seconds, the cell shriveled up and now resembled one of its dead neighbors. Its job done, the nanobot detached itself from its host and started floating off to search for a new target.

"That..." the pale girl starts to blurt, her throat suddenly dry as she tried to deny what 'Yellow' was saying.

"Scans match up. It's Raz's blood. Those things were probably inside him since the sewers. "

"We must find him! If it is killing him then..."

"No," Raven interjects, drawing a shocked look from Starfire. "We need to find Slade."

Starfire's eyes narrowed at Raven's apparent disregard for the life of their teammate but Cyborg stops her with a serious look. "She's right, Star. Even if we do find him we don't have the time to make a counter for the probes. If we stop Slade, we stop the nanobots. I've already discovered a way to find him." Punching a few keys on the console, the display brings up a map of Jump City. "I found the nanobots because they gave off a minute radio wave. That's probably how Slade's controlling them. When I did a scan of the city..." As his voice trails off, a blinking red dot suddenly appears on the screen, complete with coordinates.

"Let's go," Raven orders, a hard edge to her voice which drew shivers from the rest of the teens.

"Scary." Beastboy comments as he watches the pale demoness walk off.

T-T-T

Raziel slowly opened his eyes, the constant pain he was feeling a reminder that he was still alive. As he tried to get up, he found that his strength had all but left him as he could barely raise himself from the ground.

"Ready to return to the land of the living, boy?" comes a taunting voice.

Forcing his weakened body to move, he manages to at least sit up, his head turning to face the owner of the voice. Before he even caught a glimpse of the person he immediately sensed the wave of power radiating from the man.

"Raziel, wasn't it?" the man starts to drone as he leaned against a wall. "I heard your name from that demon girl. Is she your mate?"

"She's not a demon," Raziel retorts. It was technically true, after all. She was only half demon.

"As you say," the man smirks, noticing the boy didn't really answer his question.

"What do you want, Vampire? I can't imagine it's for small talk," Raziel states, trying to call forth his powers but failing as his body felt like a lead weight. Still, he kept his eye on the stranger just in case.

'_Even his mannerism's are the same,'_ the man notes with both amusement and curiosity. "Is this any way for the dying to speak to their benefactor?"

"Benefactor?" Raziel snorts. "That remains to be seen, Vampire." As Raziel tried vainly to glare at the man, he suddenly thought about the rest of the rhetoric question. "What do you mean, 'dying'? What did you do to me?" he growls.

"I did nothing to you, _fledgling_. Your blood is tainted and has been since we met in the sewers, or haven't you noticed?"

Raziel frowned as the man's words rang true. He had been getting weaker and weaker by the minute and at the rate he was going the prediction of his demise would ultimately come to pass. If what he said about the 'tainted blood' was to be believed, Slade must have infected him with something that was slowly killing him. His eyes widened as he realized that Raven and the others must have been infected as well. _'That would explain why she lost control earlier,'_ he rationalized. "So, you just came to finish the job?" he asks, somehow finding the strength to give the man an arrogant smirk. "I didn't know you worked for Slade."

"Kain serves no one," the man growls, glaring at the prone teen.

Fighting the urge to shiver from the immense killing intent the man suddenly put out, Raziel started to wonder why the name seemed so familiar as the man's appearance didn't exactly ring any bells. "Then why exactly am I here? It can't be out of the goodness of your heart."

Kain started to chuckle at the statement, thinking about the small scar on his chest. Looking at the outfit the teen wore brought back memories which he hadn't thought about in centuries. "Simple. There is someone I owe a favor too and you happen to resemble him quite nicely."

T-T-T

Raven focused her power through her hands, black energy wrapping around the steel doors and tearing them off their hinges. As the Titans went through the archway, they saw Slade standing over a fallen Robin.

Unable to control herself, Starfire launched a starblast (9) at Slade, knocking the villain off his feet. "Leave...him...alone!" she growls at the mastermind villain.

Slade slowly got back to his feet, brushing off some dust from his armor as he turned to face the Titans. "Good. The stage is set," Slade talks with unusual calm. "I wondered how long it would take you to find me given you didn't have your 'fearless leader.'"

"Get out of here!" Robin yells frantically. "You don't know what..."

"We know, Robin," Starfire answers. "But we are not leaving without you and Raziel."

Robin blinked with confusion as he turned to his 'master', the man's expression unreadable behind the steel mask.

"Raziel? I don't know what you're talking about," Slade answers, his hands hidden behind his back as he stood behind Robin.

"Liar! I know the nanobots in Raziel are different. Where is he?" Raven finally speaks up, black energy crackling around her body as she glared at the villain.

Slade seemed to smirk behind his mask as his eye narrowed at the pale girl. "So you know, do you? Then I suppose this is unneeded." Almost instantly the display which held Raziel's life signs changed, the readings now showing someone who was barely alive. "Is this what you wanted to see?" he taunts.

Raven felt her knees go weak her eyes locked on the monitor, a single word escaping from her lips. "No..."

"Now then Robin," Slade interjects, looking back to his apprentice and raising the arm which had the nanobots' controls. "Let me show you the results of your defiance."

T-T-T

Raziel raised an eyebrow at the statement, wondering what this 'favor' was. In his mind, people who owed him favors, given the swiss-cheese state of his memories, was certainly not a good thing. As the man starts to approach him, he tensed up as pain started to raze his body once more, this time more intense than the last attack. _'Slade!_' Gritting his teeth, he could only glare at the man as his body refused to obey his commands.

Standing impassively before the teen, he watched the boy cough up blood even as he sensed the small spark of life slowly start to fade away. "I was going to explain myself to you but it appears we don't have the luxury of time," he states, his arm reaching for the sword on his back. Drawing the sword, an eerie light started to glow from the eyesockets of the skull handguard, white energy coursing along the length of the blade. "How ironic that our meetings always seem to end up like this."

That was the last thing Raziel could remember as the blade plunged straight through his heart.

T-T-T

Just as Slade moved to push the button on his arm, a continuous shrill beep caught the attention of everyone there. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he saw the life signs of Raziel drop to zero, the entire display turning a pale shade of gray as his nanobots finished their task. "And then there were four," he states out loud. Looking to the rest of the Titans, he could see they were frozen with shock as the gravity of the situation seemed almost surreal. However, looking towards Robin, he could see the boy shaking with rage at the death of his teammate. _'You're becoming more and more like me,'_ he thinks to himself, a pleased smile beneath his mask. _'Just one more little push...'_

While Raven looked just as shocked as everyone else, her mindscape was in turmoil, several aspects struggling to hold back a furious 'Rage' as she tried to power her way to the portal.

'_(GIVE ME CONTROL! I'LL KILL HIM!)'_ the fractured personality roared even as 'Brave', 'Happy', and 'Rationality' nearly dog-piled the screaming girl. Off to the side, 'Timid' was staring at their viewing window, the girl on her knees as she kept mumbling off like a broken record.

_('Death always follows us...we'll be all alone. Just like we always knew would happen...')_

_('Do you want to summon _Him_?')_ Yellow-cloaked Raven tries to explain to her struggling sister. Her words seemed to have no effect as the four blood-red eyes simply glowed brighter, her captive's strength suddenly increasing exponentially. Already she was being dragged along with the others as the red-cloaked aspect slowly approached the portal. However, before she could reach the glowing ring, the entire Nevermore suddenly shook as if it was being torn apart at the seams. _('Oh no.')_

Even 'Rage' stopped as she felt the very fabric of her 'world' start to tear apart. Although three people already knew of the existence of Nevermore, none of them really understood its true purpose. It wasn't simply a side-effect of splitting her emotions. It was an elaborate lock meant to keep all of her power at bay. The bindings had already broken free once when Slade had activated the nanobots the last time. It was only the quick actions of Raziel that had kept the seal from degrading any further until Slade deactivated his nanobots. Deciding it was in her best interests to maintain the bindings, she reluctantly turned away from the portal, giving a snort of disgust as she joined her sisters in a circle and pooled their powers, hoping they could keep it at bay.

In the real world, Raven bit back a scream as the same razing pain she had felt earlier was back with a vengeance as Slade pressed the button on his wrist. On the screen behind the villain, she could see the nanobots attach themselves to her cells, killing her from the inside out. Struggling to stay standing, she once more felt her powers start to go wild as her mental barriers collapsed under the haze of pain. Her eyes fell on her teammates, all curled in fetal positions as she felt their life force fading as well. As depression started to set in (courtesy of 'Timid'), she thought she heard a faint voice inside her whisper one word.

_('Raziel.')_

As if to answer her call, a black portal appears right next to her. A gloved hand shoots out of the hole to grab hers, its fingers intertwining her own as the rest of the person came through the dark swarm of energy. Almost immediately she felt her stray powers flow into the teen, her eyes widening with shock and realization as the person started to chant a familiar phrase.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

Raising his arm, the Reaver materializes in its dark incarnation, a beam of black energy lancing out towards Slade.

Slade, who was shocked at the boy's appearance, barely brought his arms to block the attack. The attack slammed into the criminal mastermind, knocking him back several meters across the room.

Slade gave an evil smirk as he shrugged off the attack; it failed to even bring him to his knees. A cracking sound catches his attention, though, as the device on his wrist shattered. His one visible eye widens as he looks back at the teen. _'Did he plan this?'_ He doesn't get to analyze it further as he hears his apprentice shout to his teammates.

"Titans, go!"

Suffice to say, Slade did not like the odds he was up against.

T-T-T

"YAHOO!!!" Beastboy shouts as the Cyborg's scanner showed he and the rest of the team were free of any nanobots.

Raziel watches the green changeling do a little jig which he promptly ignores. Giving a tired sigh, he plops himself onto a chair. Tilting back his head and closing his eyes, he tries to doze off when someone sits beside him, the aura they were giving off made it easy for him to recognize who it was. "Hey."

Raven was at a loss for words, really. Too many questions needed answers but one thing remained on top. Finally deciding on one, she turns to face the boy but is interrupted as he suddenly asks her a question which she had asked herself so many times before.

"What am I, Raven?"

She nearly answered with a sarcastic remark out of habit but as Raziel continued his little tirade, her blood started to run cold. He started to detail how he had met up with their mystery man and the little 'favor' he provided to him. _'He...he was run through the heart? Vampire or not, if the stories are real, even he couldn't have survived that kind of an injury.'_ Looking to Raziel who looked none the worse for wear, she could see the pain on his face even though his voice carried the same tone he normally used. For the first time in her life, she really hated how she had to have the iron controls over her emotions as she did; her people skills really sucked because of them. She almost felt like calling over Starfire to help but a glance at the Tamaranian showed she was busy with bird boy. Just when she thought the silence couldn't get any more awkward, a sudden memory came to her mind.

Raziel had hunched over, hands clasped together as he finished relating his tale to Raven. While it felt good to let it out, a part of him worried if he said too much. While the girl was a half-demon, she was also half-human and to him that made her more trustworthy than someone who could be evil incarnate. When he felt her shift in her seat, he turned a curious eye to her and was surprised to see a faint blush on her pale cheeks.

"You are Raziel; nothing more, nothing less," the pale girl states, unable to look the boy in the eye as she fumbled with the words. "I won't pretend to know what you are or what you used to be. What I do know is the person in front of me has risked his life a lot of times for his teammates and has someone I've come to...trust." Finally working up the nerve to face him, she saw the shocked look on his face as he stared at her with unhidden disbelief. At first she worried she had said the wrong thing but when Raziel suddenly broke out in full blown laughter a vein started to throb on her forehead. As she moved to stand, she is stopped as Raziel grasps her hand. Looking at the boy, her anger dissipates as she saw the worry gone from his face, the outline of a genuine smile clear underneath his scarf.

"I didn't think you'd use my own words against me. Thank you," Raziel responds with all sincerity.

She returns the smile with a brief smirk, glad that Raziel seemed to be back to his usual self. Depressed just didn't suite him. Angsty, maybe but not depressed. "Besides, we just beat Slade. We should be celebrating, not get all gloomy. That's my job." A sudden chill running down her spine breaks whatever mood she had set as a dark figure loomed behind her.

"You hear that, Cy?"

"I heard it, BB."

Turning around, she saw evil grins on her two teammates as she vainly tried to find an escape route. Sadly, she was still in her chair so that made running away a bit difficult.

"It's time for Cy and BB's Breakfast Bonanza!" the two Titans yell out as they drag their unwilling judge to the kitchen.

Raziel watches the frightened expression on the goth girl's face with mild amusement as she tried to get away. That aside, she had finally given him her trust which, gathering from her teammates' stories, she didn't give away easily. Deciding that maybe he was worrying too much, he gets up from his seat to try to 'save' the damsel in distress from her captors.

-End of Souls Entwined: Season One-

Aaaaaand it's finally complete! Made it extra long as well as an apology for the lateness. I'd like to thank all my readers who have kept reading up to now and to all the new 'faces' I've seen drop by. It's because of you (all) that I continue to write.

Get ready for Season Two of Souls Entwined coming soon to a browser near you! Already in pre-production 

Omake 1:

Opening his eyes, he found himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. _'No, scratch that. I _do _recognize it,'_ he tells himself mirthlessly. It was the med lab of the Titans Tower. He'd woken up here more times than he'd care to remember. As he struggled to get up, a muffled voice off to the side caught his attention. Turning to face the voice, he was surprised to see a tangled mass of red hair, its owner curled at his side looking absolutely bedraggled with a satisfied smile on her sleeping face. He wondered when she had climbed under the sheets with him when his arm rubbed up against something soft and smooth. It was then he realized she wasn't wearing anything underneath the blanket. His brain started to freeze up trying to find out what was going on when he suddenly felt someone grab his left arm. The logical part of his mind told him it was better he didn't look but curiosity got the better of him as he turned his gaze to his left. To his shock lay a familiar amethyst-haired demoness with the same blissful expression on her face and equal nakedness.

'_Either this is a dream or a nightmare,'_ Raziel gulped, deciding it was best to let sleeping dogs lie as he lay his head and closed his eyes. He started praying to whatever gods were listening, hoping that whoever answered he would live to see tomorrow.

Elsewhere, a pink haired sorceress had this awful feeling she was missing out on something but couldn't quite place what.

Omake 1A:

Opening his eyes, he found himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. _'No, scratch that. I _do _recognize it,'_ he tells himself mirthlessly. It was the med lab of the Titans Tower. He'd woken up here more times than he'd care to remember. As he struggled to get up, a muffled voice off to the side caught his attention. Turning to face the voice, he was surprised to see a tangled mass of hair laying on the pillow beside him. At first he wondered when Raven had climbed into bed but then three things suddenly made themselves known.

The person had black hair. The person was naked. And the most jarring thing was the person was male.

Up in the watch tower, J'onn the Martian Manhunter thought he sensed something amiss, as if a million voices cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.

BURP

'_Oh. Must be gas,'_ he thought to himself. With that he continued to dig in to the pile of Oreos in front of him.

Authors Notes:

(1) See Chapter 2

(2) See Chapter 7.

(3) Remember Kain's power to disguise himself as a human from LoK the original game.

(4) I'm using the concept of Forever Knight's vampires where if they take in someone's blood, they gain the knowledge of that person. At least I think it came from Forever Knight :p

(5) All I'll say is that Kain's Reaver at this point is 'complete'

(6) Kind of like how a nurse wipes the sweat off a surgeon's brow :p I dunno, something I'd picture BB doing for comedic relief.

(7) You have to remember, Raziel never actually woke up with anyone by his side before (see the previous chapter).

(8) Something I made up. I really need a book of Tamaranian words :p

(9) I guess Starblasts are appropriate for the continuous beams of energy she throws.


	15. Fractured Time

**Souls Entwined**

Disclaimer: All your names are belong to someone else.

Authors Notes: Apologies for the lateness of this chapter. I once more fell into the cycle of paying for necessary evils like food and bills (why must they take me away from my fanfic writing? why!?). That said, I hope you all enjoy this installment of Souls Entwined. 

**Fractured Time**

Raven awoke with a killer headache. Whatever energies Warp used, it was playing havoc with all her magical senses. Left was right, up was down, nothing her senses were telling her made sense and that irritated her. Getting to her feet, she noticed she was still in the same warehouse they had fought in, the rubble from the villain's mad attack still present. She noticed, however, that none of her teammates could be found.

'_It's not like they'd just up and leave me,'_ she tells herself, hoping to counter the one negative voice in her head given how close-knit the team was. _'If they're not here, something must have happened to separate us.'_ Getting to her feet and shaking the cobwebs from her head, she heads to the exit to see if the battle had spilled outside.

Upon reaching the door, she gave the knob a turn but found the handle strangely rusted shut. It was then she noticed that the entire warehouse was seemingly old and decayed. Raising an eyebrow with mild confusion, she gives the door a hard shove, hoping to try a physical approach before blindly using her powers. The effects were more than she expected as the door fell off its hinges, kicking up a cloud of dirt as aloud metallic sound rang throughout the area.

She flinches as the sound was amplified by the warehouse. _'Well, if they're still around they would have heard _that_,'_ she deadpans to herself. Half expecting Raziel to come running (the thought of which made a few of her inner voices squeal with delight which she immediately suppressed), she didn't expect to hear an unearthly growl come from the shadows. "Beastboy?" she calls out, finding herself hoping it was the green changeling. However, the inhuman voice that responded proved otherwise.

"**ahHhh, finAlly a meAl," **the guttural voice answers. **"and hEre I thOught we woUld hAve to gO hunting tonight."** Stepping out of the shadows was something that looked like it came from the pits of hell. It was at least ten feet tall, looking vaguely humanoid with a skull-like face. However, the similarities to a human figure ended there. Its dark gray skin gave it a stone appearance yet seemed to move like leather. Its hands, if it could be called that, looked like techno-organic crab claws. The eyes of the creature glowed menacingly, unearthly light coming out like wisps as they stared at the human girl.

Raven couldn't help but take a step back upon seeing the...thing...before her. It just radiated pure evil. She was thankful it was nowhere near what her father normally put out but it still unnerved her, nonetheless. _'Fear is the path of the dark side,'_ she thinks to herself, quoting one of the few movie lines she actually enjoyed from Beastboy as she pushed down her fear. Her eyes start to glow with power as she collects the dark energy into her hands, ready to fight at a moments notice.

"**gOod,"** the beast growled in apparent pleasure. **"hUmans tastE so mUch bettEr when tHey struggle."** Launching itself at the girl, it reaches out with its claw, intent on capturing its prey, but found itself stopped by a wall of dark energy. If it could blink, it would have done so with surprise but the feeling quickly passes as it grinned menacingly at its target. **"yOu arE one of Us yet nOt of uS,"** it growled. **"perHaps you can provIde 'othEr' entertAinmEnt as wEll."**

Raven immediately raised her hands in defense, feeling a shiver run down her spine as she had a fair idea of what the demon meant by 'other'. Through her readings she knew of certain demons that captured _females_ and had no intention of becoming a statistic. However, as the monster started to roar, that outcome seemed to become more and more probable.

Several heavy footsteps started to ring out all around her, growls similar to the one the demon in front of her had coming out of the shadows. As they stepped into the light, she could see their slavering jaws open and close in anticipation, glowing eyes on her like a starving man's at an all you can eat buffet.

Not wanting to stick around, she turns around to run through the open door but found her way blocked by yet another of the gray-skinned creatures. _'This isn't good,'_ she thought worriedly, feeling another wave of fear hit her out of the blue. She blinks her eyes as she finally realized why she had a hard time controlling her emotions. _'It's them! They're putting out some sort of fear aura.'_ She doesn't get to enjoy her revelation as one of the demons let lose a spray of green liquid at her. Barely avoiding the attack, she takes to the air, noticing how the liquid was eating through the floor where she stood.

"**fOol! Do not dEstroy her yEt!"** one demon barks, which she surmises to be the 'pack leader.' **"nOt until we hAve madE her sCream."**

"I don't do screaming. But I do have three words for you," she deadpans, trying to put up a brave front as she chants the mystical words to focus her powers. Realizing that for once she couldn't afford to limit her powers, she relaxed her controls as dark energy spread from her body to the ground. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" All around her, barrels, steel girders, any large object, was levitated in the air as they were surrounded by the dark miasma. Her eyes glowing brightly, she spins in a circle, launching the debris at her attackers in a whirlwind of devastation.

The objects slam into the creatures, smashing a few to the ground with a sickening crunch. Even if they were demons, she suppressed the urge to throw up at having killed them so brutally. One part of her, however, was reveling in the carnage.

'_(Yes! Destroy them! They dared to threaten us? Let them know the princess of darkness!')_

She ignored the voice in her head, concentrating on finding a way out and hopefully discovering what the hell was going on. One of the demons, apparently angered at the demise of its brethren, let out an unearthly roar and fired a bolt of magical lightning at her. Barely having time to raise a shield, she watched as the blue-white energy splashed harmlessly around the barrier. Still, she felt herself being pushed back by the sheer power behind the attack.

The other demons noticed this and let loose their own lightning attacks while the acid spitters crawled up the walls, waiting for the opportunity to pounce.

'_This is _not_ good,'_ she silently grouses. With attacks coming in from all sides, she was forced to raise a full barrier around her. As opposed to her brief directional shields, the full barrier was a continuous drain on her reserves and she knew it was only a matter of time before it failed. Seeing that her earlier route was still blocked, she allowed the multiple attacks to push her against the wall, hoping that her plan would work.

"**yoU will fAll beFore our mIght,"** the lead demon growls as he watched the human back up against the wall. Grinning evilly, it poured more power into its attack as the shield slowly started to flicker. Its eyes widen in shock as their prey suddenly phased through the wall, their attacks splashing harmlessly against the steel wall.

Raven smirked as she heard the roars of frustration coming from the other side of the wall. _'That takes care of that. Now to find out what the hell's going on.'_ As she turned around, the scene she saw made her blood run cold.

All around her, it looked like something out of a nuclear holocaust. Buildings were flattened, the odd girder or wall the only thing remaining of the once proud structure. No stars could be seen, a perpetual shroud of darkness hanging over the city with an unearthly light seemingly coming from everywhere and nowhere.

"It can't be," she whispers, slowly floating to the ground in shock. The demons' presence was finally sinking in as she put two and two together. _'I can't stay here. I've got to find out what happ...'_ "AAAAHHH!"

Her train of thought is interrupted by searing white pain as the wall behind her explodes, chained lightning burning her as it poured out of the opening. Screaming in pain, she collapsed bonelessly on the ground, her body paralyzed from the attack as she heard the demon's voice chuckle.

"**nO oNe escApes thE wheel,"** it itones.

Raven could only watch helplessly as the group of demons started to approach her, her body unresponsive as she could only imagine what they were planning to do to her. As one of them reach for her, she heard the sound of flashing steel just before the claw could touch her.

Almost immediately the demon fell into pieces, green blood oozing from the chunks of 'flesh' as the rest of them whirled around trying to find out what happened. A female voice started to whisper, the sound almost melodious as it began to chant out.

"In front of me, Turiel. Behind me, Zephonel. On my right, Dumael, On my left Melchiel."

Underneath the demons, a huge glowing seal appeared. From her prone position, Raven watched in fascination as they seemed to actually shake with fear. _'No. That's not right,'_ she corrects herself as she recognized the energy behind the spell. It was a spell of binding. As she watched them struggle to break free, a cloaked figure suddenly dashes past her towards the demons, a gray cape flapping in the wind. Her eyes were riveted as she watched the person run up to a demon and slam a palm onto its chest, knocking the creature off its feet and through the warehouse wall.

"**YOU!"** one of the demons roars, throwing a punch (if it could be called that given it had no real fist) at the petite human. Said human simply raised both hands, grabbed the claw in an Aikido-like stance and tossed the demon into its brethren.

Raven couldn't believe her eyes. This person was easily taking down what she sensed to be upper echelon demons; things that she, without tapping into her demonic background, would have a hard time dealing with. Her wonder turns to worry as the demons began to recognize the threat of the newcomer and attacked her en mass, the figure simply standing as if not noticing the horde charge in. She tries to shout out a warning but found her voice had left her, her body still paralyzed from the earlier assault. Unable to tear her eyes away from the scene and expecting to see the person torn to pieces, her eyes widen with shock as she felt an immense wave of power radiate from the human, the cloak blowing off to reveal a girl not much older than herself.

The girl's shoulder length hair billowed as she gathered her power, white tendrils of energy coalescing around her hands as her lips moved; her voice too soft to carry over the din of the demons. Bringing them together, the white energy solidified into a wicked looking blade that seemed to sing in anticipation. Raising the blade in an unknown stance, she levels her gaze at the demons before uttering a single word.

"Release."

Almost immediately the blade was engulfed in pure white light that pierced the darkness. The girl seemed to blink out of existence, the only tell-tale of her presence were the bright slashes that appeared on the demon's bodies as they roared in pain. After what seemed like an eternity, the girl rematerialized outside the circle, the blade at her side as the demons seemed to be frozen in their steps. Swinging the sword in the typical manner for shaking off blood, the demons suddenly fall apart like jigsaw puzzles, dissolving in a shower of green light as they scream curses at the petite figure.

As her body finally started to respond to her commands, Raven weakly pushed herself off the earth, her eyes never leaving the demon slayer who had raised her head to the sky, eyes closed as if listening to some voice on the wind. Suddenly, she turns her emerald eyes towards her, eyes narrowing slightly as she appeared to be searching for something. Finding her throat suddenly dry, Raven readied herself just in case things got ugly. It looked like it wouldn't come to that as the girl finally opened her mouth to speak.

"Who are you? What are you doing outside the barrier?"

Seeing the girl grip her sword tightly, Raven wondered how she was going to explain this one.

- A few hours ago -

Raven sat on the roof, enjoying the unique blend of tea Raziel had given her. The boy had said he recalled drinking it but couldn't quite place when exactly. Still, she was mildly impressed when he offered to make her some and with her curiosity getting the better of her, she agreed to sample it. Much to her surprise it was actually as good as he claimed it to be.

Staring out into the sunset, she couldn't help but wonder what exactly her relationship was with the dark-haired teen. At times, he seemed really aloof and withdrawn but more often than not he usually placed himself in harms way to protect her. She had come to expect it from her teammates, having long since fought alongside them, but with Raziel he seemed to have little regard for his own safety when it came to her. It both warmed and chilled her at the same time that someone seemed to be so...what was the word...selfless and yet so callous at the same time.

Looking to her side, she watched as Raziel leaned against the wall where he sat, a look of calm tinted with longing on his face as he held his cup of tea. It seemed like he always made it a point to catch a sunrise or sunset whenever possible, like he was afraid he'd never see one again. He never did bring up the topic of vampires again so she hoped he was feeling better about it. After all, anything was better than being the spawn of an inter-dimensional demon lord. Taking a sip of her tea, the perfect calm was shattered by the sudden yells of the other Titans from the main hall which somehow penetrated even the buildings' thick glass windows. "_Perfect_," she drones sarcastically. _'I came up here to get away from the noise._' As she starts to get up, Raziel gave her a curious look as he watched her stand.

"Are you sure you want to get involved? You remember the last time someone tried to butt in," he smirks which caused Raven to roll her eyes.

"It's what roommates do; be nosy and pushy. Besides, if we don't stop them now, who knows how long they'll carry on. Unless you've forgotten, I like my peace and quiet just the way it is."

Raziel gave a mock sigh of irritation as he gets to his feet and stands beside the girl, allowing her dark powers to envelope the two of them and phase them through the floor. As they enter the main hall, the black energy disperses just in time for them to catch Starfire blow up at the group.

"STOP FIGHTING!" the Tamaranian yells with unusual strength, causing the arguing teens and the newly arrived spectators to cringe reflexively, one moreso with his enhanced hearing. "Friends should not be fighting," she pleads, her eyes in stage one of the puppy-dog eye attack. "Do you not know what today is?"

This caused the group to shake their heads at the question, momentarily forgetting the reason they were fighting. As Starfire held up an interesting necklace, it gave off a melodious tone that was quite unnatural for its appearance. "Today is Blorthog day! Do you wish to invite the Rekmas with your action?"

Robin's eyes softened as he looked at Starfire's disheartened face, the anger he felt earlier no longer present. "Star, I don't know what this 'Rekmas' is but it's just a fight among friends. By tomorrow all of us will have forgotten the reason we were even fighting."

"But every time fighting has occurred on this day, friends have always walked their separate ways, never again to speak with each other. _That _is called the Rekmas. I...do not wish for that to happen."

Raven places a hand on the morose girl's shoulder before she started shudder crying. "Star, let me be the first to say that unless something major happens, the Teen Titans are staying together." Turning her head to the three boys, her eyes start glowing brightly as she gives them an evil glare. "Right?" she asks.

Self-preservation instincts kicking in, the teens (sans Raziel) nod hurriedly while giving Starfire their affirmation.

"Yeah!" "You bet!" "Friends forever!" Robin, Cyborg and Beastboy shout respectively as they do a forced group hug.

"Friends!" Starfire adds, immediately cheering up as she pulls Raziel and Raven into the group hug.

Before Starfire's inhuman hug could last too long (and potentially kill the team), the alarm klaxon blares which signified a break-in somewhere in the city.

Taking the distraction, Robin pulls himself out of the hug and heads towards the launch bay. "Titans, go!"

As the team proceeded to head out, Raven could almost see the Cheshire-like smirk Raziel had beneath his scarf, the sheer amount of mirth he was giving off causing her to flush slightly. "Just because I keep my emotions in check doesn't mean I don't know how to be a friend, so stop smirking and let's go," she huffs, grabbing his hand and phasing the two of them through the floor.

T-T-T

If one were to examine what a museum was, you could pretty much think of them as akin to a movie theater. They would play whatever was 'hip' and once the fervor died down a new 'hip' set of artifacts would take center stage. As such, the not-so-hot items were often relegated to storage in one of their warehouses. One such item lay deep inside one such warehouse, not having seen the light of day for several years now.

Until today, that is.

"Where is that blasted thing?" a voice grumbles as it rummages through several storage crates. His eyes widen as they spot the object he was searching for. "At last," he says to no one in particular. "The clock of eternity. And they said it would be impossible."

"And I suppose you're the type who makes the impossible, possible," a girl deadpans.

Whirling around, he sees six teens in various states of readiness, each of them reminding him of several things he researched before coming to the city. "Ah, the Teen Titans. Pubescent heroes from the early 21st century. It is an _honor_ to make your acquaintances. The name is Warp," he drawls, giving an exaggerated bow. His eyes fall on one pale teen whose face failed to ring any bells, eyes narrowing slightly as he tried to understand why he felt uneasy around the boy's presence.

"I wish I could say the same, but there are things such as breaking and entering which stop me from returning that honor," Raziel answers back, his eyes now glowing with ethereal light.

"Yeah!" Beastboy adds. "Step away from the...glass ...thingy...and put your hands up and all that."

"It's a clock, Sherlock," Raven mumbles under her breath as she levitated above her teammates. Looking at the man before them, she wondered what was so important about the clock he held. There had been a string of break-ins at several museum warehouses over the past week and each time it had puzzled everyone to no end. There was no sign of any forced entry and the only indication that anyone was ever there were the overturned boxes and crates. The only clue they had was the fact that the warehouses had been struck in an increasingly westward direction.

Robin had decided on setting up some additional alarms in the warehouses not yet struck and it appeared his hunch had been right. Now they faced the thief who appeared to be dressed in a highly stylized techno-armor not unlike Doctor Light's own but somehow looking a lot more powerful than the black bodysuit.

"Whoever you are, you're coming with us," Robin orders, whipping out his metal staff to emphasize his point.

"I think not," the man smirks as he makes a break for the exit.

Robin immediately springs into action, tossing his patented bird-a-rangs at the man. His eyes widen in shock as the thief suddenly pulls out his own discs and tosses them at the approaching projectiles, slicing the bird-a-rangs in half.

"Primitive," the man sneers. Pressing a button on his wrist guard, two little devices which resembled flashlights pop out of his shoulder armor with a mechanical hiss. "Let me show you what _real_ technology is."

"Primitive? _Primitive?_ Who you callin' primitive?" Cyborg counters as his right arm transformed into his patented sonic canon. If there was one thing he prided himself with the most was his own state-of-the-art body. Taking aim, he fires off a powerful blast at the man which suddenly bounces harmlessly off a force field. "What the?!"

"You're a hundred years too old to face me." As he levels his arm at the shocked cybernetic teen, a sudden buzzing in his ear causes him to look over his shoulder. It was that brief warning that allowed him to see the glowing sword headed his way. Tapping another button on his armor, he vanishes with a pop just as the sword occupied the space he once stood in.

The Reaver slicing the concrete floor, Raziel quickly scans the area for any sign of the man but found that he had completely disappeared. Whirling around, he saw Warp hovering in the air, a frightened look on his face which had gone deathly pale.

"No...it's not possible," the techno-villain stammers, looking like he had seen the devil himself.

As Raziel took a step forward, Warp immediately backed away, shaking with a mixture of fear and rage which caused Raziel to blink in confusion. He knew he could be scary at times but this was just plain weird to him.

Warp continued to back away from Raziel, eyes never leaving the teen's cloaked form. Pressing several buttons on his arm, several additional weapons pop out from his armor, the high-pitched hum of energy weapons charging filling the air as he takes aim at the sword-wielding teen. With a frightened yell, he lets loose a barrage of beams which tear apart his surroundings, unmindful of whether they actually hit anything. "I don't know how you found me, but you won't take me back!" he shouts, much to the confusion of the Titans.

Raziel and the rest of the Titans frantically dodge the erratic fire, jumping from hiding place to hiding place as the beams easily disintegrated whatever they touched. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Raven with a determined look on her face as she seemed to watch their foe intently, apparently with a plan on her mind. Turning his gaze to Warp, he could see him punching several controls on his wrist while trying to keep everyone at bay.

Warp, by now, had punched in the temporal coordinates for his home, making sure he still had the item. This was something he had _not_ foreseen. He knew 'he' was from this time period but no records ever mentioned him in this specific year. Still, he had what he came for so it was time to leave this century. Just as he was about to hit the activation key, he suddenly heard a voice sound from behind him.

"You won't be needing that."

Raven, who had phased herself through the floor, materialized behind the man and made a grab for the clock. Wrapping her powers around the clock, she tried to wrench it out of the villain's hands. However, the instant her black energy touched the item, long unused gears inside the machine started to turn as they resonated with her dark powers. Seeing the reaction she tried to dispel her power but found the clock continued to drain and absorb her energy. Her eyes widened with a hint of fear as she felt the clock suddenly flare with a power that set her senses haywire.

Before she could react, a bolt of energy shot out from the clock, traveling along the black telekinetic link and striking her in the chest. The resulting flash was spectacular and caused everyone to shield their eyes from the light. As the light faded, the only thing that remained of Raven was a burnt piece of her cloak, the blue cloth fluttering slowly to the ground.

Warp blinked his eyes in surprise at the apparent demise of the Titan. _'This wasn't in the history books either,'_ he thought worriedly. Looking at the remaining heroes, he could see them with equal looks of disbelief but two of them were looking at him with murder in their eyes. Deciding that it was in his best interests to leave now, he activates his suit to escape this time period. "Tah tah, Titans. Can't say it's been entertaining." Just he was about to step through, Starfire and Raziel let out twin roars of anguish as they launch themselves at him and into the portal, the three disappearing into the time stream as the hole closes up with a resounding 'pop'.

Beastboy, Cyborg and Robin could only stare in confusion at the spot where Warp once stood. All of a sudden their team had been cut in half. The green changeling turns towards his companions while pointing at the space where they disappeared. "So...what do we do now?"

-Back to the present-

Raven held up her hands in resignation, unable to provide the girl with a plausible explanation. The last thing she remembered was getting zapped by that blasted clock and then waking up in this hellish nightmare. "I'm as much in the dark as you are. I don't suppose you can tell me where exactly I am?" she sighs, hoping the stranger wouldn't use the weapon in her hand as it looked really, really painful and she'd rather avoid a fight if possible.

The girl eyes her warily, almost as if she was peering into her soul. After a few tense moments, she sheaths the wicked looking blade onto her back as she reaches out a hand towards her, the hard look gone from her face. "We have to move. They'll be back in greater numbers soon."

As the girl grabs her hand, Raven felt herself pulled to her feet which showed the sheer strength hidden within the young girl's petite form. "This might feel weird so hold on to your lunch."

Raven suddenly felt this huge wave of vertigo hit her, thanking her stars that she hadn't eaten anything earlier. It didn't make the feeling any less unpleasant but she was sure it saved her from an even more embarrassing situation. Collapsing to her knees, she gave a few dry heaves as the girl gently rubbed her back.

"Don't worry. You'll get used to it," she assures, a sympathetic look on her face.

Giving the girl a weak nod, Raven takes a look at her surroundings and found herself giving a gasp of surprise. From the looks of things she was back at the Titans Tower yet things seemed out of place. For one, there were some pieces of technology she barely recognized not to mention several magical constructs that she did but there was no mistaking the layout. _'Not to mention the giant 'T' on the floor,'_ she thinks to herself.

"Welcome back, Tabitha. Found another survivor?" asks a voice from the hall. "I can't believe there are still people able to survive outside."

"Yeah, but I think you'll want to see this one," Tabitha answers as she heads towards the voice.

Raven couldn't help but blink at the sound of the person's voice. On the one hand, she seemed to have a gentle demeanor but it also carried supreme confidence (and was that arrogance?) behind it. For some reason the voice reminded her of something but couldn't quite place what. As the owner of the voice stepped out of the hallway she nearly had a heart attack upon seeing the person.

Dressed with a simple skirt and blouse, the girl (_'No. Woman,'_ she corrects herself) looked nothing more than an ordinary housewife. The apron she wore only accented the fact. Her long silky hair reached past her waist and only added to the homey image. She even radiated that calming presence she had read some housewives had that maintained the Tao of the home (the magazine had a recipe for a particularly good blend of tea, she argued mentally). That alone wouldn't have caused anyone to react as she did to her presence. What caused her to react as she did was the person's pale skin, _pink _cat-like eyes and matching hair color to boot. Suppressing the reflex to attack the woman as she was more confused with her presence, she instead gave flat stare as she gave a curt nod of greeting. "Jinx," she deadpans.

Jinx's eyes blinked at the person standing before her, instantly recognizing the dry personality anywhere. Dressed in her familiar blue cowl, albeit slightly damaged from an encounter with the demons, no doubt, was someone she hadn't expected to see again. "Raven," she replies, her voice all but a whisper. She took a step forward to approach the pale girl but the next few words gave her pause.

"I assume you have a reasonable explanation for what you're doing in the Titan's Tower?" Raven asks, resisting the urge to throw her most hated foe out the window.

"Titan's Tower?" Jinx replies questioningly. Looking intently at the girl before her, her eyes widen as she seemed to realize something. "I see," she adds, the look of shock on her face changing to one of seriousness. "This might take some explaining to do."

Raven gave a shrug, pulling back her cowl as she eyed the pink-haired woman warily. After fighting those lighting and acid demons, it would take a lot to shock her. "Try me."

Jinx gave a tired sigh as she walked over to an ordinary looking wall. Waving a hand over the wall, it began to shimmer until it became clear as glass, displaying the familiar skyline of Jump City. However, off on the horizon was a gleaming wall of energy that seemed to reach infinitely skyward. With an exaggerated wave, she turns back towards Raven with a sardonic smile on her face. "Welcome to Jump City."

That Raven was shocked was putting it mildly. While it was Jump City, it was clear the city had seen better days as many of the building sported scorch marks and cracks that looked like they had been there for years. Looking down, the most jarring of all was the lack of cars that used to litter the streets of the city. She could see people walking along the sidewalks but even then they seemed in far too few numbers than she would normally see them. "What have you done?" she growls, whirling around to face the pink-haired sorceress.

The girl gave Raven an amused smirk, a bit of her old personality shining through. "You think things would have stayed the same after over a hundred years?"

Raven froze as Jinx's statement started to sink in, darkness claiming her as her mind decided the information was too much to take in.

As the blue-cloaked girl collapsed in a heap, Jinx approached her with an amused expression on her face. "I'd forgotten how cute you looked when you're unconscious," she grins. "Tabitha, I think our guest needs a bed. We can place her in _that_ room."

T-T-T

Raven felt herself walking along a long narrow path, somehow apprehensive yet...happy?...content? She couldn't place what emotion she was feeling. As she reached the end of the path, she came to stand beside a man dressed in black but she couldn't make out his face. In front of her, a man dressed in blue and gold seemed to be speaking something but even that was something she couldn't make out. As the man finished his silent spiel, she felt her hand being raised by the man in black. Puzzled by the action, her eyes widen as she watched a slim gold band being slipped around her finger, an act that even with her limited desire for human interaction she recognized immediately. _'No fking way!'_ her mind screamed in confusion. _'This has got to be a dream...no, a nightmare,'_ she thinks, realizing that with her 'condition' it was impossible for her to get into any semblance of a relationship anyway. She thought about forcing herself to wake up but a part of her growled that since she wasn't getting any in real life, she'd better damn well enjoy this dream, the thought causing her cheeks to flush with embarrassment as images not suited for public viewing started to filter into her mind. Turning to face her 'husband', she was suddenly greeted by Jinx's face as it approached for a kiss.

"GYAAAAAAAAH!" Raven shot up from under the covers, sweating profusely as she looked at her surroundings. Noticing she was laying on a futon, she frantically looked around to make sure she was actually _alone _in the bed. Patting herself down, she also found that she was still wearing her normal outfit instead of that white wedding dress. She lets out a sigh of both relief and disappointment, mentally telling herself to never let anyone know about her dream. Her thoughts are interrupted as the door to her room clicks open, revealing said pink-haired girl from her dreams, carrying a tray of bread and tea.

"Good. You're awake," the sorceress states, taking a seat beside the younger girl and laying down the tray. "I figured you'd be hungry."

"I'm not..." grrrrooooowl Raven had the decency to blush at the sound which emanated from her stomach. Seeing Jinx grin her Cheshire-like smile only served to make her blush even more. Looking at the tray, a familiar scent wafted from the steaming cup of tea which caused her to stare quite a bit at the food. Picking up the cup, she inhaled the sweet aroma of the tea which was her staple at the tower. "How did..."

"Now _that_ is a _secret_," Jinx smirks, wagging her finger at the girl which caused Raven to scowl. Something about the way Jinx did it was really annoying.

Raven started to consume her food and drink, trying to ignore the look Jinx was giving her. It was almost like she was memorizing every little detail which annoyed the object of her attention to no end. "Take a picture. It'll last longer," she deadpans as she finished the last bite of bread. She suddenly had a feeling of _mild_ regret as the girl's mood dampened quickly.

"Sorry," Jinx says morosely.

That brought Raven out of her stupor as she could feel the depression rolling off Jinx. Given she knew nothing of the twisted world she was in ('_A nice Jinx? Will wonders never cease?')_, she decided to at least find out what the heck was going on before falling into old patterns. "You...you said this was the future? What happened?"

That brought the pink-haired girl out of her funk as her expression became serious. "Follow me. It's easier if I show you."

Raven felt the girl's demeanor change almost immediately. It was almost as if she radiated a commanding presence. Following her through the building's corridors, they finally arrive at the same room where she had unceremoniously fainted, something she promised herself wouldn't happen again. She watches Jinx wave a hand over a wall, the shimmering display appearing once again. _'When could she do that kind of magic?'_ she wondered, sensing an unknown power behind the spell. "That's still the same view you showed me earlier."

"Impatient, aren't you?" Jinx retorts almost playfully. With another wave of her hand, the view suddenly shifts as if traveling at high speed, finally coming to rest at the edge of the glowing wall which bordered the city. Small figures seemed on the other side of the wall, ripples appearing around the area where they gathered.

Raven squinted as she attempted ascertain what they were. She lets out a small gasp as she the view zoomed in further, revealing the same demons that had accosted her earlier. While she couldn't hear them, she could see them roar and screech as they pounded against the clear barrier, physical and magical attacks slamming against the shield which caused the ripples she had seen earlier.

"They appeared almost a hundred years ago. No one really knew where they came from except they coincided with a weakening of the dimensional barriers."

Raven was barely listening but she heard the sorceress statement. They were the same barriers that kept worlds like Earth and Azarath apart. It was also those same dimensional barriers that kept demons like her father, Trigon, at bay and if he was able to breach them, this was the kind of thing she expected to happen. Her blood running cold, she turns to Jinx with a question on her lips. "How...?"

"No one knows, really. We lost ninety percent of the world's population in the first few weeks. Even the Justice League, with all their _vaunted _strength, was no match for legion. Hell, all metas actually banded together for once to try to stop the invasion," Jinx answers almost bitterly, mumbling something that sounded like 'no good blood, too' under her breath. "A good number of those that died were actually killed by people. Said they were only 'following god's orders'. No one really believed them at first but when the magic-sensitives started hearing the voice as well, we knew it wasn't something psychological. While we tried to fix things, in the end, the balance of the dimensions couldn't be restored. Without any real form of world government left, the remainder of the meta-human force decided that we would try to save what remained of the world in pocket cities, hence," she adds, pointing to the barrier on the shimmering display, "the war walls were erected. It keeps everything, even that voice, at bay but there was a price."

Raven's throat went dry as she could only imagine what the price was. Now that she thought about it, the whole area was saturated with white magic. It made her demon half cringe slightly but what was the most disturbing was the sheer power behind it. Nothing of that magnitude ever came easily and without some price to be paid.

Seeing the worry on the girl's face, Jinx knew that Raven understood the implications behind her statement but didn't know what the price was. "You want to know how we keep the shield up, don't you?" When the girl nods, Jinx walks over towards the center of the room, motioning for Raven to step beside her. As soon as Raven got near, she grabs her hand, a magical circle appearing beneath them which glowed with a pale white light. "Hold on to your hats," Jinx smirks as the two vanish in a swirl of light.

Raven nearly fell to her knees as she felt the same sensation of vertigo once more, her face slightly green as she fought to keep down her meal. It was only because Jinx had moved to support her that she didn't fall flat like last time. Expecting the girl to insult her, she was surprised to see a genuine look of concern on her face.

"Sorry. I forgot you're not used to our method of teleportation yet," Jinx apologizes as she helped steady the girl.

"Th...thanks," Raven responds, not quite used to saying 'Thank You' to anyone, much less someone she considered an enemy. Still somewhat disoriented, she nearly didn't notice the light emanating from the huge crystal behind her, its pale light giving the room an almost ethereal feel. "Is that what's powering the shield?" she asks, looking at the crystal with awe. Moving to approach the crystal, she suddenly felt Jinx's hand on her shoulder.

"You don't want to get too close," she warns, pointing to a set of glowing rune symbols carved on the floor. "We need to maintain a delicate balance or the wall weakens so we erected several protective spells to safeguard R...the crystal. We've never actually had anyone approach them but I don't want you to be the first."

It was too much for Raven to take as her confusion at the way Jinx acted finally got to her. "Why even show me this place if I it's so important? I could be one of those demons you're fighting!" she snaps. Much to her surprise, Jinx simply gave her a gentle smile.

"Because I trust _you_," she answers like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Raven gave a tired sigh and gave up trying to understand the girl. If this truly _was_ the future, it was both bleak _and_ weird. Turning her gaze back to the crystal, she couldn't help but marvel at the power radiating from the giant rock. It seemed to pulse like a heart, letting out waves of energy that she assumed was what kept the 'war walls' up. As her eyes adjusted to the brightness, she suddenly noticed a faint outline inside the crystal. Squinting as she tried to make out some more details, she lets out a sharp gasp as she recognized a human figure inside the crystal. Her eyes flaring with power, she turns to Jinx with the intent to rip the woman a new one but when she saw the sad look on her face, she decided to stay her hand until she heard the full story.

"This is the price," Jinx states, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. Seeing the confused look on Raven's face, Jinx continues to elaborate her statement. "Magic always has a price. For a spell of this magnitude, the sacrifice was a human soul. And don't even think about lecturing me on the morals of it if you don't know what was at stake," she adds with slight vehemence.

Raven was aghast. Even if it was for the greater good, she couldn't justify to herself sacrificing a human soul. "How many times have you had to sacrifice someone?" she asks Jinx, afraid of what the answer might be.

"For this city? Just one," she answers with a sad smile.

"What? That's impossible! I can _feel_ the power radiating from that crystal. There's no way a human could power that spell for more than a few months!"

"Ah, and there's the clincher. Meta-humans can last years, even decades powering the spell," she clarifies sadly, turning a sad gaze to the girl encased in the crystal. "My best friend discovered that particular quirk and insisted she be the first to be encased. She really was a softie despite her gruff exterior."

Whatever anger Raven felt for the pink-haired sorceress vanished as quickly as it came after finding out about her best friend. Looking back at the crystal, although the crystal's facets hid many details of the person inside, she could see the pristine white dress the person wore, protected from the ravages of time by the same spell that protected the city and kept her imprisoned. Then something clicked in her head. "Wait a minute. You said I'm over a hundred years in the future, right?" Jinx nodded in affirmation. "How come you're still young?"

"Aww, you think so?" Jinx preens exaggeratingly which caused her companion to let out a sigh of frustration. "Hey! I _am_ a sorceress, you know," she pouts, letting her statement hang in the air.

Realizing that was the only answer she would get out of the woman she turned her gaze back to the person inside the crystal, wondering what would prompt someone to go to such lengths. She almost didn't realize that Jinx had placed a hand on her shoulder to signal they were leaving. Nodding to the woman, she felt the familiar pull of the teleportation spell as they disappeared from the chamber.

Jinx and her companion reappear in the room where they started, the smaller of the two wobbling about as she tried to shake off the spell's effects. "Easy, sugar. Let the feeling pass on its own. I _know_ what it's like."

Raven slowly steadied herself as the whole thing seemed so surreal; a post-apocalyptic demon-filled world, Jinx actually on speaking terms with her, and the fact she appeared to be stuck in this twisted time period. At least now she knew what she was dealing with. Her thoughts turned back to Warp and the clock he stole, the only clue she had as to how she came to this place and maybe a way to get home. If she could get back to her time, maybe she could prevent this future from happening. "Jinx," she asks, turning to face the sorceress, "I know this seems a bit sudden but..."

"You want to find a way back to your own time, correct?" Jinx interjects, enjoying the look of annoyance on Raven's face at completing her sentence. "Not gonna happen, sister." Seeing the slight tick on her eyebrow which she recognized as annoyance, Jinx decided to elaborate her little statement. "Oh, don't get me wrong. It's the most obvious thing you'd be thinking about right now. We've _thought_ of sending people back through time and maybe find some way to prevent all this from happening."

"So what's stopping you?"

Jinx let out a tired sigh as she turned her gaze towards the viewing screen. "It was an idea that came up too little, too late. By the time we found the right spell, most of the world's magic users didn't have the power levels necessary for something like that and the only one left who do..." Her voice trails off as she looks back at Raven with a sad look on her face. "Let's just say she's not exactly at her peak."

"She's the one in the crystal, isn't she?" Raven answers. "And breaking her out of it is out of the question given what her role is." When Jinx doesn't answer, Raven took that as a sign that her hunch was right. "What about technology? Before I woke up here, we...I was fighting this guy called Warp. Said he was a time traveler."

"Warp?" Jinx appeared deep in thought as she shuffled through nearly two centuries worth of memories trying to dredge up a name. "Doesn't ring a bell. We _had_ a prototype suit that was developed a long time ago but that was lost when Star Labs' barrier failed somehow and they were overrun. No one's been able to duplicate their research and it's not from lack of trying. If it _is_ the same suit, someone has a lot to answer for," she growls.

"I...I see," Raven responds. It was beginning to make sense now. Warp mentioned something about coming from a hundred years in the future and Jinx mentioned the suit was 'lost' somewhere along the same time. If he did come from this future then no wonder he had a technological edge over them; he would have to be to survive this apocalypse. Still, it didn't help her get any ideas for getting back home as she wearily sat down on one of the chairs in the room, a tired sigh escaping her lips at the futility of her situation. Luckily for her, someone else seemed still have some hope of getting her home.

"There may be a way," the girl known as Tabitha interrupts as she steps into the room. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. Remember the device we discovered last year?"

"I remember, Tabitha. We found it on the outskirts of the city surrounded by some high demons. Took us a while to clear the area too, I might add. But we never could get it to work. The only one left we haven't tried to activate the thing is kinda indisposed."

"Yes, I know _she_ is," Tabitha answers. "But what about her?"

Jinx follows Tabitha's finger, her eyes falling on Raven as a light goes off in her head. "Tabitha, you're a genius!"

Raven suddenly felt a self-conscious as the two eyed her almost appraisingly. "What?"

An hour later, Raven was headed out towards where the device lay; Jinx and Tabitha in tow as she levitated the two. According to Jinx, the area itself defied all manner of scrying so the viewing spell she had used earlier wouldn't work. Teleporting was out of the question since they had no idea if it was safe to do so without scrying the location. Neither would explain what it was but only that she probably was the key to activating it.

Looking behind her, Raven couldn't help but marvel at the feats of engineering that followed them. Two mecha easily ten feet tall followed as support for a possible strike. The city itself had about a dozen or so spread out for defense but these two, according to Tabitha, were the pinnacle of a forgotten science. One of them which sported a white and blue motif had a unique wing design. Tabitha called it the HiMAT system but even she wasn't sure how it was used. Another sported a pinkish-red color with what appeared to be a huge jetpack mounted on its back. Both mechs carried a rifle and shield but she was sure that they weren't an accurate representation of their full capabilities.(1)

When Jinx told her they were Gizmo's work, she couldn't quite get the disbelief out of her head but she supposed _that_ event would have forced people to rethink their priorities. Either that or Jinx forced him to build them, the thought of which brought a wry grin to her face. The girl had always managed to control her two teammates with surprising ease. Still, the two mecha were disturbingly familiar yet she couldn't quite place her finger on it. Before she could actually remember where she had seen them before a shout breaks her train of thought.

It's there," Tabitha calls out, pointing to a small valley in the distance.

Banking towards the direction, Raven couldn't help but let out a quiet gasp. Unlike the rest of the world she had seen, this one was surprisingly green. Not only were trees surrounding the valley, but she was sure she could make out a whole field of flowers in full bloom. In the center of it all was a huge donut-shaped structure, vines creeping up its side but otherwise appearing to be fairly intact.

"Well, that's new," Jinx comments. The last time she was here this place was like a desert, devoid of life and vegetation. This place was now full of so much life energy it almost gave her a rush just sensing it. As they touch down on the soft grass, a soft rustling could be heard in the branches of the trees surrounding the area but the unnerving thing was that there wasn't any breeze to begin with. It felt like they were being watched but she couldn't for the life of her detect anything.

Raven saw that Jinx seemed on edge about something but nothing seemed out of place. The trees were tall, the grass was green, the flowers were shudder pink and white, all in all a picture of perfect tranquility. However, that in itself was weird given the post-apocalyptic world they were in. Extending her senses out further, she felt an unknown power suddenly manifest itself all around them. Before she could turn to warn her companions, the earth suddenly rose up around them, encasing them in a prison of stone leaving only their heads visible. Giving a huff of irritation, she begins to use her powers to free herself when a voice called from above.

"Who are you?"

Looking up, Raven saw a girl standing on top of a floating boulder, the giant rock surrounded by a golden aura. The levitation itself wasn't impressive as she could do the same thing. What surprised her was that the girl seemed to be composed entirely of crystal, her sapphire blue eyes looking at them with guarded curiosity. "I could ask you the same question," she deadpans, concentrating her power on her hands as she readied herself to break free.

As the girl cocked her head to the side, Raven noticed that her long hair still flowed like silk despite its crystalline appearance. She appeared to be deep in thought but started to frown, her brow creasing in apparent frustration.

"I...I don't remember. I remember heat...searing pain...light...then darkness. And then you." Looking at the girl in the blue cloak, she levitated herself closer and peered into her eyes as if searching for something.

Raven felt self-conscious once more; how many times were people going to eye her like that? She felt herself blushing slightly at all the attention when an inhuman roar started to reverberate throughout the area. Straining her neck, she caught out of the corner of her eye a large group of gray demons emerging from the forest, their eyes glowing with malevolent energy.

The crystal girl's eyes narrowed at Raven, her expression changing from one of naiveté to unbridled fury. "You are with them," she growls. Leaping back onto the rock, she levitates herself high into the air, her hands glowing with golden light as she confronted the newcomers. "You're not welcome here. Leave now."

One of the demons gave a guttural laugh, amused by the bravado the crystalline girl displayed. **"Foolish guardian. What can you do against legion?" **Almost immediately after it said that a large boulder slammed into it, knocking it back into the forest.

"Who said she was alone?" Raven said emotionlessly, dusting herself off after freeing herself from the stone prison. To her side, Jinx and Tabitha had also freed themselves and were giving the demons a bored look.

"How many are you again? Only a hundred? I'm hurt," Jinx drawled, her familiar smirk on her face as she placed her hands on her hips in a taunting manner. Tabitha was just standing with her arms to her side as if waiting for them to make the first move.

The crystal girl could only look in shock at the three, not really expecting them to help her after what she had done but it made her reevaluate her opinion of them. It also brought forth some unpleasant emotions which she couldn't really explain but it was thankfully interrupted by an unearthly roar.

"**TAKE THEM!"** another demon roars, the entire group rushing the four females.

One demon it attempted to take a swipe at Raven with its huge claw but found its attacked stopped by a wall of darkness. Although she stopped the attack, she felt herself pushed back from the force behind the blow. Growling slightly, she focused her powers on the ground beneath the demon and watched as said demon was propelled spectacularly into the air, soon nothing more than a dot in the sky. Feeling slightly winded at the amount of energy she had expanded, she was still rather pleased with her performance but then she saw how the others fought.

Off to the side, she could see Tabitha wielding the same sword she had seen earlier, slicing through a mob of lightning demons with very little effort. When she blocked an attack, she could feel the tremors as the girl's feet sank into the earth but was amazed at how easily she shrugged off the attack like it was nothing. It made her feel weak as she had enough trouble dealing with one much less the sheer numbers the girl was capable of taking on.

The crystalline girl moved surprisingly very little as there seemed to be a pool of sand at her feet that blocked every attack thrown at her. As they tried to rush her, she waved her hand in front of her which caused several boulders to shoot out of the ground, slamming into her opponents and knocking them across the valley.

A sudden hum in the air caught Raven's attention just as she finished dealing with another acid demon. Looking to the source of the sound, she could see the red mech wielding what appeared to be something out of a Star Wars movie, a double sided beam saber of sorts, as it sliced through a demon with relative ease. The white mech had opened up its wings and now sported canons on its hips and shoulders in addition to the rifle it carried. It let loose a barrage of beams with deadly accuracy, striking down demon after demon in a shower of light.

The most surprising one of them all was Jinx, her lithe body weaving between her attackers like a modern ballerina as she fired off small pink bolts of energy. Granted she was fast, her strikes seemed to do little more than annoy the demons as they chased after her. _'What is she doing?'_ she thought worriedly as Jinx was painting herself into a corner. However, seeing the sorceress suddenly smirk caused her to shiver unconsciously as it reminded her of the cat that ate the canary. She could see her mouth something but over the din of the demons she couldn't make out what she said. The only thing she did hear was the last word to escape her lips.

"Zinthos."

Raven was nearly blown off her feet from the shockwave of the blast as an absurdly large pink beam of energy tore through the demon horde like they weren't even there. She couldn't believe the amount of raw magical power pouring off the sorceress. Either she grew stronger over the years or the Jinx of her time was really holding back. As the blast dissipated, the only thing remaining of the demons was a huge carved out path where the beam had traveled. As Jinx started to wobble, she immediately rushed to her side to steady the obviously weakened girl.

"Whoa...I'm not doing that again," Jinx comments as she wiped the sweat from her brow. It always took a lot out of her doing that particular spell alone but given the current situation there wasn't really any alternative. As she felt her knees give way, Raven was suddenly at her side stopping her from her fall. "Thanks."

Raven let the shadow of her cowl hide her blush; if any of the Titans found out she was helping Jinx, even if it _was_ a 'nice' future version of her, she'd never be able to live it down. As she was about to ask her how she knew that particular set of words, her question was interrupted as a loud growl suddenly reverberated throughout the area.

"**So, humans, you still persist in this foolish resistance?" **Another gray demon started to fade into existence, this one larger than any of its defeated brethren. It even towered over the mecha which already stood at over ten feet tall. All of the other demons stopped fighting and knelt down, whether in fear or reverence was an unknown. **"This world and every being in it belong to the wheel. The Hylden and their pathetic alliance already failed to stop us once. What makes you _humans_ think you will do any better?**"

Raven involuntarily took a step back as the human side of her wanted her to run away. It was only her iron willpower and the fact her demon half seemed to want to challenge the giant which kept her from breaking down right there. "I don't suppose you could do that same attack again?" she asks, nudging her pink-haired companion, grudgingly admitting that Jinx appeared to be the stronger between the two of them.

"Sorry," she whispers back. "Even if I was at full strength, I don't have enough raw power to do more than maybe injure him a bit. Plus, the spell I did normally needs two specific people, one of which isn't here."

"What about those two robots?" she whispers.

Jinx could only shake her head. "The mechs weren't built for that kind of encounter so it'd be a waste to even let them try. I've already pulled in too many favors to let the city be undefended this long. If they're destroyed here, then these demons here will be the least of our problems." Giving the two mechs a brief glance, they seemed to respond to the motion as they slowly backed away from the new arrival, leaping into the air and zooming back towards Jump City.

Raven kept the worry off her face even as she kept her eyes on the demon lord. If Jinx didn't have enough 'raw power' then how much power did they need? Her worry increased as the crystal girl launched herself at the demon, eyes glowing with unhidden fury.

The demon opened its maw, letting loose a blast of hellfire at the floating girl. She leapt off her perch, summoning another boulder out of the ground as the previous one melted under the tremendous heat. Clapping her hands together, multiple spears of solid granite burst from beneath the demon in a stabbing attempt only to shatter against its leather-like skin.

Taking a cue from the unknown girl, Tabitha leapt at the demon, sword glowing brightly as she took a swing at the creature's head. Unfortunately, her attack fared no better as the demon blocked it with its arm, the sword letting out a resounding clang on impact. As the demon moved to counter attack, Tabitha felt someone grab her by her collar and hoist her out of harms way. Looking to her benefactor, she saw the crystal girl pull her atop her rock, her strength a stark contrast to her petite frame.

"Maybe it's best if we regroup," the girl says out loud, her cheeks taking on a ruby hue even as here hands glowed with a golden light.

"**Two of you? I had thought the circle destroyed millennia ago,"** the demon stated as it looked at the two girls with mild curiosity. **"No matter. I intend to correct that oversight."** Raising a clawed hand at the two girls, a swirling mass of fire and dark miasma started to grow in its palm but just as it was about to release it a black bolt of energy slammed into its body with the force of a freight train, knocking it several meters back. While it wasn't really injured, it did feel something which it hadn't felt before in years; an almost familiarity to the power that struck. Turning to the source, it saw the small pale girl with a surprised look on her face, hands surrounded by dark power. Growling at the interference, its eyes began to burn with unholy light causing several tentacles to burst forth from the ground, wrapping around the humans and immobilizing them. Even Tabitha and her new friend were caught by the speed the appendages displayed.

"..." Raven had no idea what caused her to strike out at the demon, her body having moved of its own volition. Now they were caught in a manner that felt disturbingly wrong. "This...is disgusting," Raven whispers to Jinx who was staring at her with a look of unhidden shock.

"No duh!" she hisses back, struggling against the gross yet strangely powerful binds. As she tried to summon her powers, the bindings began to tighten around her which caused her to gasp in pain. Dispelling the energy, the tentacles didn't slacken but thankfully didn't tighten any further.

"**It is useless to struggle," **the demon lord chuckles. **"The bindings feed on magical energy and as you have discovered, they are quite ravenous."** With a wave of its claw, the four humans were brought closer to it, an evil grin on its face as it watched them squirm.

Raven watched as the demon raised its claw at them once more, unable to retaliate or break free as the same fiery sphere began growing to immense proportions. Looking to her companions, she expected to see looks of anger for putting them in this situation or even looks of fear. Instead, she saw defiant looks on Jinx and Tabitha and even the unknown girl.

"**Defiant to the end. How...quaint. It will do you no good, however."**

That was the last thing the demon said as it tossed the ball of demonic energy at them. From the amount of power Raven could feel coming off the ball, she knew there wouldn't be anything left of them to even sweep up. Reflexively closing her eyes from the searing heat of the attack, she waited for the end to claim her when the attack exploded short of them. The shockwave knocked them away and onto their rears but they were otherwise unharmed. Opening her eyes in surprise, she found that the bindings had also somehow been destroyed, the remains dissolving into tiny sparks of light which faded into nothingness.

"Are you all right?" a heavily accented voice asks.

Looking to the source of the voice, she saw a man in a dark gray cloak, shoulder length hair flapping in the wind in front of a huge crater which she assumed was caused by the demon's attack. He seemed to exude an aura of power but she couldn't sense anything at all from him which disturbed her. He did, however, seem familiar to the demon as it snarled at the man.

"**You,"** the demon growls. **"You have been a thorn in our side since time immemorial."**

"Took you long enough," Jinx grumbled at the man almost playfully, slowly getting back on her feet as she worked the kinks out of her body. "One thing's for sure, you sure know how to make an entrance."

If the man heard either comment, he made no move to acknowledge them as he continued to have his back to the girls, keeping his eyes on his opponent as it growled out something in demonic tongue at its brethren. "We need to get Raven to the Time Streamer," he states, almost ordered in fact.

Raven was surprised the man knew her name but was even more surprised when Jinx and Tabitha's expression changed to one of utmost determination, as if they were rejuvenated by the man's appearance, Tabitha mouthing a few words silently which caused the sword she held to glow with a familiar glow.

"You heard him," Jinx states as she pulled Raven towards her one chance home.

The crystalline girl looked at the man with curious eyes for a moment before moving next to him, taking a ready stance which brought forth an almost pleasant sensation which she couldn't explain. She was joined by Tabitha who had taken up position on the man's other side, forming a line which they all understood none would pass.

The cloaked man spared a brief glance at the crystalline girl, eyes widening slightly as he seemed to recognize the figure but immediately looked forward again as the demon roared out its orders.

"**Destroy them all!"**

Raven watched the demonic horde start to rush the three, a part of her wanting to join the fray. Her jaw nearly dropped when the man's 'cloak' suddenly spread out into huge bat-like wings just before he blinked out of existence. The sound of flesh meeting flesh was the only indication of where he reappeared as she saw the demon lord fly backwards, the man's outstretched fist where the demon once stood the only clue to what happened.

'_How fast did he move?'_ she wondered.

With the help of Tabitha and the crystalline girl, the trio kept attention away from herself and Jinx as they ran towards the Time Streamer. With nothing to stop them, they easily reached the device which looked a lot more impressive now that she was standing directly in front of it. Still, it looked like nothing more than some carved stone structure which made it difficult to determine how to even activate it.

Seeing the confusion on Raven's face, Jinx decided to lend a helping hand gave the girl a push causing her to fall forward and brace herself on the Time Streamer.

"Hey!" Raven blurts out as she felt the two hands tip her over. Hands landing on the device, she suddenly felt her power flow through her hands. Or to be more precise, she felt the device suck it out of her. Trying to pull her hands off seemed useless as they seemed to be glued to the stone. As she felt herself grow drowsy, the device finally seemed satiated as it released her hands. "Did you _know _that would happen?" she growls, turning to Jinx with an annoyed glare (which would have been a furious one had she more strength).

"Nope," the pink-haired sorceress grins with her typical Cheshire smile.

Moving to strangle the older girl, she stops as the Time Streamer started to shake and hum as the sound of gears could be heard somewhere from within the stone structure. Stone slowly crumbled away, revealing an intricate device which started to glow brighter by the second.

"I can't believe it worked..." Jinx stated in awe as the machine's function finally started to work after all those millennia. What shocked her the most was that Raven was able to activate it even in the state she was in. She is shaken out of her reverie as a swirling mass of energy started to form in the center of the Time Streamer. "Crap! Settings! Settings!" Rushing to the side of the device, she eyed the levers and knobs trying to recall what their research had hypothesized about the controls.

Raven watched Jinx frantically work the control panel as the hum of the device grew louder. After what seemed like mindless lever throwing, Jinx finally turned to her and pointed at the now swirling portal, a powerful wind howling around it as it seemed to draw everything into itself.

"Get in! I don't know how long this thing will hold up!"

"Are you sure it's set to the right time period?" Raven asks over the roaring wind.

"Pretty sure," Jinx shouts back, causing Raven to frown at the answer.

"Pretty sure?! I'm _not _placing my life on a 'pretty sure'." Raven retorts dryly.

"Would you rather take your chances here?" she shouts, pointing to the battlefield which now had several portals spewing more of the demons from before. "I know you want to help but the best way you can help is make sure _this _doesn't happen!"

Looking at the fight, she saw the stranger already being hard pressed to keep up with the sheer amount of demons that continued to spawn from Trigon knows where. She felt unsure about leaving them to this fate but knew that this was probably their only chance to prevent this future from happening. Still, it didn't make her decision any easier as she faced the portal. For all her bravado, the swirling energies were somewhat unnerving as they set all her magical senses on overdrive. Taking a deep breath, she shakily starts to take a step forward when she felt two arms wrap around her in a gentle embrace.

"Take care, Raven," Jinx whispers, right before shoving the girl head first into the Time Streamer. She was pretty sure she could hear Raven cursing in Azarathian as the portal started to close behind her which brought a chuckle to her lips. Her familiar smirk back on her face, she does a back flip that would have made a gold-medal gymnast green with envy, doing several twists in the air before landing in the center of the battle beside the winged man. "You couldn't face her, could you?" she asks rhetorically. "It's not your fault, you know. You couldn't have known she'd do that."

"I know," comes the flat reply as he catches a demon's claw and breaks it at the joint; throwing a powerful punch at its face which sent the monster crashing down. Although they had taken down a good number of them, it appeared the demons were more than willing to sacrifice numbers to end their resistance. Huddling into a circle with Tabitha and the crystalline girl, they warily eyed their opponents as they slowly tightened the noose. "I just...didn't know what I'd say," he adds. "Are you sure this is the right thing to do? Drop a stone into a rushing river - the current simply courses around it and flows on as if the obstruction were never there. What if...what we did was simply drop a pebble?"

"I know but if..." she replies somberly, slowly placing a hand over her abdomen. "But if there's any chance she won't grow up in a place like this, I'll take it. Even if it means risking..." Her voice trails off as she felt emotion well up but a gentle squeeze on her hand dispelled all of her worries.

The man gives a confident smirk at Jinx before turning back to the demon lord and its army, his expression changing to one of utmost defiance. "Then I guess we'd better make the most of what we have while we still have it." Raising his right arm into the air, a huge ethereal sword easily twice his height burst forth into existence, the demons cringing as it dispelled the darkness around them. As the light shone on the area, multiple eyes could be seen in the distance, glaring angrily at the defiant beings on the ground.

"Long time no see," Raziel growls, just as all hell broke loose.

T-T-T

"So...what do we do now?" Beastboy asks as he stared at the spot where they lost half their team.

"Everything it takes to get them back," Robin growls. Warp would pay for what he did, even if it would take years he would make warp pay. Clenching his fists tightly, he almost failed to notice the glowing portal which formed in the same spot where his teammates disappeared. The portal flaring brightly, it suddenly spit out a confused looking Starfire who had the clock safely cradled in her bosom, blinking in surprise at her surroundings.

Almost immediately following that, another portal materialized before them, a familiar pale-skinned girl tumbling through uttering curses which thankfully for the other Titans' virgin ears they failed to understand.

Landing unceremoniously on her rear, Raven made a mental note to kick Jinx's ass the next time she saw her, irregardless if she wasn't the same one who pushed her into the portal. Looking around, she saw that she was back in her own time as she saw all of her teammates looking back at her. A sense of relief washed over her, thanking future Jinx for getting the time period right. However, she felt the heat rise to her cheeks as she felt five pairs of eyes staring at her. "What?" she asks hotly, hoping to stop the incessant looks of incredulity they were giving her. Unfortunately for her it didn't as she suddenly found herself embraced by a tearful Tamaranian.

"Friend Raven! I am most glad you are alive! The future was so bleak and Robin was no longer Robin and Beastboy was bald and Raziel was missing and you were..." Starfire rattles off, ignoring a protest of 'Hey!' from Beastboy as he overheard the hairless comment.

"Star! Air!" Raven gasps as she felt her ribs start to protest from the girl's over enthusiastic hug. Her retort is cut short as yet another portal spawned behind her, spitting out the last missing Titan who had the spectral Reaver already present in his hand as his head whipped from side to side searching for any signs of danger. As his eyes fell on the blue-cloaked girl, the ethereal sword retreated back into his arm, his shoulders slumping as if a great weight had lifted from them.

"Raven..." Raziel whispers just loud enough for Raven to hear as he approached the girl from behind.

Starfire let out a squeal of delight as she released her hold on Raven just enough to pull the goth boy into her hug. Both her friends were alive and that was all that mattered at the moment. They had been separated in the time stream when they rushed Warp and thought him lost forever like Raven. With the way her life was before coming to Earth, friends were something very dear to her and seeing them alive and well immediately uplifted her spirits.

"What happened?" Robin asks, feeling slightly annoyed that Raziel was getting all that attention.

Opening her mouth to reply, Raven suddenly found her thoughts extremely muddled like they had been pushed through a blender. "I...I can't remember," she answers haltingly. "I think I was in the future but everything's a blur." She started to frown as even that knowledge started to fade.

"Star, what happened to Warp?" Cyborg asks, having sense to remember the whole reason they were in the warehouse in the first place.

Starfire gave out a short squeak as she remembered the clock she had been holding protectively to her bosom. "Warp was wrong! The future is NOT written in stone. He failed to steal the clock!"

"That is because, my dear, he does _not_," counters a deep voice from the shadows. From the shadows a misty arm solidifies and tears the clock from the surprised girl's arms before she could react.

The mist flowed towards a steel beam on the roof, slowly solidifying into the same man who the Titans encountered in the sewers the other night. No longer wearing the cloak, they could make out the muscled frame of the man as he examined the prize in his hand. While the darkness still made it difficult to make out his face, the pale moonlight gave off just enough light to reveal glowing yellow eyes and canines that sent shivers down the human members of the team.

Robin tried to reach for his weapons but the killing intent the man was putting out paralyzed him. It was like he was injected with the Scarecrow's fear serum.

Kain could tell they were struggling to overcome their fear but they were millennia too young to resist. Looking down at the boy called Raziel, he gave an appraising smirk as he noticed him already shaking off the fear he knew was filling their veins. Still, now was not the time for a confrontation; he had what he needed. Raising a hand towards the ceiling, he lets loose a blast of telekinetic energy which blows a hole through the steel structure. Turning his gaze back to the Titans, he focuses his power through his eyes which sent his will straight into their minds. _"Forget."_

T-T-T

Raven blinked her eyes at the sensation of two large globes pressing against her chest. In front of her, Starfire seemed to have a slightly glazed expression on her face that quickly vanished as it was replaced with gladness and relief.

"Friend Raven! I am most glad you are alive! The future was so bleak and Robin was no longer Robin and Beastboy was bald and Raziel was missing and you were..." Starfire rattles off, ignoring a protest of 'Hey!' from Beastboy as he overheard the hairless comment.

"Star...air!" Raven protests as she tried to pry the Tamaranian off.

"What happened to Warp?" Cyborg asks, having sense to remember the whole reason they were in the warehouse in the first place.

Raven watched as Starfire became despondent as she said that while the villain was defeated by their future selves, she was unable to retrieve the clock. For some reason, Raven felt an odd sense of déjà vu and the nagging sensation that she needed to remember something important that she had to do. Turning to Raziel, she could sense him frowning beneath his cloak and knew he was sensing the same thing. Nodding to the boy, she made a note to delve into both their psyches to see if there really _was_ any mental tampering done, if only to alleviate the nagging sensation she felt.

T-T-T

Deep beneath the city, a chamber older than recorded history had its first visitor in centuries. However, lacking any source of light it was impossible for anyone to actually see what was inside.

Anyone with human eyes, that is.

Kain looked around at the room, marveling at how well preserved everything seemed to be given this world's own history. Had he been (what did the humans call it?) an archeologist, he would have been extremely fascinated by it all. However, he was not. Searching the chamber, his eyes came to rest on a dusty pedestal which seemed to have a circular indentation in it. Glancing at the clock the children had so graciously _given_ to him, he places it on the stone structure, hearing a slight click as it slid into place.

Almost immediately, the sounds of huge gears turning filled the chamber; long unused mechanisms groaning in protest as light started to shine from a glowing orb hanging from the ceiling. Minutes passed and soon most of the noise faded silently into the background, only the quiet hum of whatever powered the room could be heard. Looking around at the chamber, his teeth showed in what could only be called an evil grin at the sight before him.

"Yes, this will do nicely."

-To be continued-

Notes:

(1) Yeah, I know. I couldn't resist sticking them in. Please don't flame me. :p

(2) No omakes this time  I'm kinda disappointed that I couldn't think of one.

Thanks to bookworm101, johnny, Red Mage Neko, Wanderer3, O.o (whoever you are :p), Metal Overlord 2.0, liljimmyurine, and Mr. Mxyzptlk for leaving reviews and to everyone who's read this story so far. I'm glad you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.


	16. Childhood dreams

**Souls Entwined**

Disclaimer: All the characters mentioned here are copyright their original owners. I own nothing but the story.

**Childhood dreams**

Raziel's eyes glowed with unchecked fury as he grappled with Warp, a tinge of insanity behind them as his hand tried to claw at his opponent's throat. It was only the fact that the suit seemed to grant its user above-human strength that saved the man from asphyxiation.

"Let go!" Warp yelled as the three of them tumbled down the time stream. It was bad enough that the annoying girl had her freakish strength but the boy just seemed to be almost feral in his attacks. It strained the abilities of his suit to its limits just trying to keep him alive as the two teens had murder in their eyes. Activating his suits blasters, he lets out an evil grin as twin beams lance out from his shoulders, slamming into the two teens with lethal force.

Starfire let out a scream of pain as the beams seared her skin. Even with her alien constitution those things hurt a lot. It took all her willpower to try to hold on to the villain but she wouldn't let go. Not after what he did to Raven. However, fate had a different idea in mind as her inhuman strength tore off the little handhold she was using, causing her to fall through the time stream.

Raziel had ignored the pain that left his right arm useless. He didn't have Starfire's semi-invulnerability so the laser tore right through bone and muscle. He knew, however, that given his body's healing it would be all right in a matter of days. Still, the injury wasn't enough to stop him from the task at hand and take revenge for Raven's death. His eyes flaring with power, he draws back his left hand and prepares to punch a hole in the man's chest when Starfire's scream cut through the haze of red he was seeing. Whirling around, he saw the girl tumbling through the time stream. Without a second thought, he released his hold on Warp and used the man as a springboard towards his teammate.

"Raziel!" Starfire cried out as she tried to steady herself. With her powers of flight somehow negated, there was nothing to stop her from flying off into who knew where.

Raziel watched helplessly as the girl drifted further and further away. Even with his springboard launch, the distance between them just seemed to be growing. It was then he realized that he was no longer moving forward. Looking towards whatever was pulling him, he saw a swirling mass of energy forming behind him, a similar one forming behind the distressed Tamaranian.

Warp seemed to notice it too as he whirled around with a frightened look on his face. Eyes darting to his chest, he noticed the missing piece of machinery that regulated the suit's temporal energies. Looking at the two teens, he saw the Tamaranian fall into a time hole, the chest piece clutched in her hand as she was swallowed by the portal. "No! My vortex regulator!"

Raziel felt a small amount of satisfaction as he watched Warp curse to the high heavens just before he was swallowed by the unknown portal. Whatever it was that Starfire had, it was certainly important enough to make the man furious. Still, it didn't do much to alleviate his current situation as he saw his legs start to disappear into the abyss. Suffice to say the sensation was not pleasant as he let out a scream of pain that no one heard.

T-T-T

"Gaaaah!" Raziel sat up with a start as the memories flooded into his mind. Sweat pouring down his brow; he takes several deep breaths as he tried to get his bearings. Looking around, he found himself lying on a bed in a rustic looking house. _'Well, I think I'm alive,'_ he muses sarcastically. Still, this was an unfamiliar place and the sooner he got information about it the better. Moving to get off the surprisingly comfortable bed, a sharp pain shoots up his shoulder causing him to hiss in pain. Reflexively reaching up to sooth the ache, he found the injury he sustained from Warp neatly bandaged. _'Definitely alive,'_ he deadpans. The injury itself would heal in a day or so given his accelerated healing but it still brought the question as to who bandaged him.

"Oh, you're awake," a voice called from behind.

Whirling around with the practiced reflexes of a Titan, Raziel immediately rolled off the bed and leapt backwards, calling forth the power of the Reaver into existence. At least that's what he tried to do as his right arm went into a violent spasm, the involuntary movement causing him to crash spectacularly in a heap at the foot of the bed instead of landing on his feet.

"I'll thank you not to damage my room," the voice answered dryly. "Though I'm sure other people would be cowed by your athletic prowess."

Cracking open an eye at the jibe, Raziel saw a lady dressed in a simple white robe holding what seemed to smell like chicken soup, her mouth upturned in a simple smile. Her face held an elegant beauty to it that only came with age, her jet-black hair coming down the sides of her face which only helped to accentuate the fact. The chakra jewel on her forehead though made him remember another girl who also had the same feature, the thought of which dampened his mood considerably given what Warp did. As the woman cocks up her eyebrow in an eerily familiar manner, Raziel knew he had been caught staring and hastily averted his gaze.

Amused at the boy's sudden shyness, the woman places the soup on the bedside table and takes a seat at the foot of the bed. "If you're done admiring the view, maybe you can tell me how is it we found you with a sizeable chunk of your arm burned."

In the middle of crawling back into bed, Raziel immediately froze up at her statement. He wasn't quite sure if he could explain to her that he was fighting a time-traveling thief that had killed his alien and half-demon friend. Oh, and that he was probably a vampire too. Given her manner of dress, he wouldn't be surprised if she called out a lynch mob to burn him at the stake.

"Sorry. It's...something I'd rather not discuss right now," he answers, hoping that the woman wouldn't pry any further. Unexpectedly, the woman gave a small bow and turned to leave the room. Before she left, she stopped at the door and turned to him briefly, giving him a small smile as a few soft words left her lips.

"My name is Arella."

T-T-T

Raziel was surprised that he was actually left alone, the woman only returning to pick up the soup bowl (which to his embarrassment he had consumed ravenously). As a sign of gratitude though, he half-heartedly mumbled out his name, the woman simply nodding in response before she left the room. A little bit later, she popped in briefly to let him know that she had a few errands to run for the Lady of the land and that she would be back later. Once she left, he waited until he sensed that she was now quite a distance from the house before lifting himself out of bed, taking care not to reopen any wounds. _'I don't need to burden someone else with my problems,'_ he mused silently. It was then, of course, he realized his less than appropriate attire as he felt a draft between his legs. Looking around, he found no trace of his (probably bloody) costume and instead saw a simple robe lying on a chair. Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, he put on the robe and quietly made his way out the window, thankful for the one-storey house he was in.

Stepping outside of what he realized to be a cottage, Raziel was amazed at what he saw. Around him was a sprawling city which looked like it came out of a history book. There were no cars, electric light posts, or anything which could be defined as 'modern.' It brought a strange feeling of nostalgia which caused him to let out a contented sigh. _'Focus, Raziel. Now's not the time for idle thoughts.'_ Extending his senses, he was surprised to find the area saturated with magic and it appeared most, if not all, people had a fair amount of it. People walked around dressed in robes similar in style to the one he wore, all of them carrying a significant amount of magical energy. When he thought more about it, it reminded him of a village of monks or a religious order. The only thing was the idyllic aura that radiated from everything. From what he could see, the people appeared to be a monastic society.

The situation itself wasn't unheard of but what was disturbing was what his senses were telling him. All around there seemed to be a complete lack of 'darkness'. Not anything dark like shadows or lack of light but the complete absence of the darkness in their souls. He couldn't really read minds but souls seemed to have a 'flavor' to him that he couldn't quite explain. In truth it unnerved him that he would think that way but nevertheless what his senses were telling him was an impossible situation, in his opinion. _Everyone_ had darkness in them no matter how good people were. That was why people had free will. Still, while everyone gave a courteous nod (which he returned), he could feel their eyes on him as he walked past. _'They don't seem to take well to strangers,'_ he surmised. Of the people he saw, none had the same pale complexion he had which almost made him feel out of place. Thankfully, he never really cared what people thought of him so he purposedly ignored their stares but still covered his head with the robe's hood, hiding his face within its shadows.

Walking along what appeared to be the main road, Raziel continued his trek towards the city limits, not really caring about his destination; Raven was dead, Starfire was gods knew where and he was stuck who knew where in a city of supposed pacifists. All in all, a fairly grim situation; already he could feel the tell-tale signs of depression setting in. Anger flaring at his helplessness, he lashes out at a tree with his uninjured arm; his enhanced strength easily carving out a huge chunk out of the poor tree. He was so deep in his brooding that he almost failed to hear the sounds off in the distance; almost, as his enhanced hearing wouldn't let him enjoy any real silence.

"Let me go!" a young voice cried out, the fear obvious in her tone.

"Scream all you want, demon. I will not let you risk everything we have worked for till this day," came the gruff reply which was followed by a loud crack and a scream of pain.

Raziel's face set into a mask of rage. He may have been depressed (not that he would ever admit to feeling that particular emotion) but for some reason the scream caused his blood to boil. He started rushing through the forest, rushing past trees and shrubbery with no regards for the branches that cut his skin. As he hit a clearing he came across an old man with a jeweled dagger raised in the air, poised to strike at a small cloaked child that was crumpled at his feet. His eyes flaring with power, he dashed towards the man and blocked the fatal blow with his uninjured arm, causing him to hiss in pain as he now had to deal with two injured limbs. "And here I thought Warp was the only one who had a death wish," he growls out loud.

The man's eyes widen in shock at his failed attempt to cleanse their commune. This boy had no idea of the true nature of the...thing behind him and even risked personal injury to save it. "I don't know how you found us, boy, but you're making a grave error," he sneered, eyes narrowing at the intruder. When the boy's hood slipped off, it was then he got a look at the young teen. Unlike normal people, this boy had an unusual pallor, too much like the _thing_ which plagued them. He also noticed the slight golden tinge the boy's eyes had taken which caused him to take an involuntary step back. "You're one of them," he started to stutter.

For a brief instant, Raziel was confused at the man's sudden change in demeanor. _'One of them?'_ he wondered silently. He barely had time to ponder about it when the old man suddenly attacked him with renewed vigor. In his less than optimal state, he was barely able to avoid the thrust to his heart, the blade instead firmly implanting itself just inches away from a critical injury (at least from a normal human's perspective). Not satisfied with simply stabbing him, the old man twisted the curved blade, causing him to cough up a fair amount of blood. He gave himself a grim reminder never to judge old people by their looks again as he struggled to push off the surprisingly spry man. As his blood started to pool at his feet, he heard a faint whimper from behind and a sudden flare of power.

"No...no...no...!" the girl started to stammer, her gaze fixed on the boy's blood that was slowly seeping into the soil. She had just woken up from the beating the man had given her only to find some boy now bleeding in front of her. Hyperventilating, she could feel something inside her struggling to get out. It felt like her chest was tightening and the pain was starting to become unbearable. "Make it stop," she whispered, her voice strained like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. As tears started to cascade down her cheeks, she let out a scream of despair that rang out through the forest.

Through the haze of pain, Raziel could literally feel the waves of depression just rolling of the girl. For a brief instant he started wonder just what her life was like for one as young as her to be _that_ depressed. As she started to scream, he was suddenly knocked off his feet as a shockwave of power tore through the area; black lightning ripping apart the surroundings as they leapt from her body. Still, he would thank his lucky stars that he _was_ knocked away as he saw a stray bolt strike the man he was fighting, the magical energies ripping the flesh from his bones. If the man's scream was any indication, it was anything but a pleasant sensation. He flinched slightly at the sight before him; the man may have seemed fanatical but even he didn't deserve that kind of death.

Gripping the hilt of the knife in his chest, he grit his teeth as the knife slid out of his body, glancing briefly at the burning body tumbling down the cliff with morbid fascination. He was sorely tempted to peek over the edge and sneer but he had two rather pressing matters; the girl hunched over in a fetal position was still randomly unleashing energy from her body and he was currently bleeding profusely. Aside from that one time Kain stabbed him through the heart (which he was still trying to understand how he survived), his healing abilities had their limits; already he could feel his eyelids growing heavy from blood loss.

As he dodged the random attacks, Raziel noticed several blood stains on the girl's robes. At first he thought they were wounds caused by the old man but as new stains started appearing the amount of energy being released started to increase as well. It was then he came to a chilling realization. It was probably her own power that was causing the mysterious wounds. It was eerily similar to what Raven experienced during that incident with Slade's nanoprobes but this time he didn't have the luxury of using the Reaver freely. When he tried to use it earlier it caused a severe jolt of pain along his entire arm and forcing it to channel the girl's power probably wasn't a good idea.

There was also the chance that her power wasn't actually compatible with the Reaver but a part of him couldn't leave the child to just die. So with a silent curse at his naivety he lunged forward, avoiding the stray bolts of energy and wrapping his arms around the girl. As he made contact, he immediately felt the rush of power flow into him with surprising ease. Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, he raised his injured arm into the air and summoned the Reaver.

T-T-T

Rushing through the forest, she whispered a silent prayer of protection for her charge as she felt the dark energies permeate the area then suddenly dampen. She knew that Juris disapproved of her plan but until proven otherwise, she would treat the girl no differently than one of their own; no child should be persecuted for things beyond their control. However, with this sudden wave of darkness, she could only assume the worst had happened. Finally reaching the clearing where the surge emanated, she was shocked to find the young boy she had left in Arella's care with his arm outstretched, a phantom blade in his hand discharging dark energy into the sky. While faint, the outline could not be mistaken. It seemed vaguely familiar as it nagged at her memories.

For Raziel, he couldn't believe the sheer power that the girl was radiating; it clearly outstripped the level of Raven's power by magnitudes. Still, he didn't have time for idle thoughts as he concentrated on drawing as much of it out of the child as possible. As expected, summoning the Reaver was a painful experience but even he didn't expect the amount of pain that followed when he channeled the wild energies. It took all his willpower just to stay conscious. He could feel his body start to come apart at the seams, fresh wounds opening on him like on the small girl. _'Who would have thought a small girl would do me in?_' he thought with a small amount of mirth as the world suddenly went dark..

As the two fell asleep from her spell, she immediately rushed to the girl's side and let out a sigh of relief upon finding her alive. Turning her attention to the girl's unlikely savior, she cast a quick healing spell on his, hoping it would be enough until she could get him back to home where she had the proper tools. Snapping her fingers, the three of them disappeared in a flash of light.

T-T-T

Opening his eyes, Raziel found himself staring at yet another unfamiliar ceiling. _'What is it with me and hospitals?'_ he groaned silently as he tried to sit up; tried being the operative word as his body screamed in protest. Collapsing back into bed, he used what little strength he had to feel for the stab wound on his chest and was surprised to find it neatly bandaged and nearly completely healed. His brow furrowing, he tried to remember what exactly led up to his winding up in this cot. The last thing he remembered was summoning the Reaver and the girl. _'The girl!'_ he suddenly realized. Ignoring the pain in his limbs, he forced himself up just as a soft moan to the side caught his attention. To his relief, he saw her sleeping peacefully in the cot next to his.

"I see you are awake," a woman's voice called out.

This time taking care to not aggravate his injuries like the last time (given the fact he really didn't sense anything hostile from the person), Raziel slowly turned to face the speaker and saw what appeared to be a priestess. The way she was dressed just seemed to reinforce the 'I'm just a harmless priestess' image yet the air of authority around her seemed to say otherwise. Still, she hadn't done anything _yet_ so he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. Also, it felt like she could back whatever authority she exuded so he would observe first before reacting. "The girl. Is she...?" his voice trails off. He blinked in confusion at how rasped it sounded.

"Your injuries extended to more than your arm, in case you were wondering," the woman answered. "And as for Rachel, she is fine." Walking over to the girl's bedside, she placed a wet cloth over the sleeping child's forehead before taking a seat beside her. Her eyes softened as she watched the steady rise and fall of the girl's chest, relieved that the events earlier did not leave any lasting damage. _'Physically, at least,'_ she sighed to herself. "It would appear I owe you a great debt, although I _am_ curious as to why you came to Azarath."

Raziel wondered how much he could reveal given a nagging sensation about meddling with time and the fact the woman was staring him down. Given the aura she exuded, she could probably tell if he was lying or not. As he opened his mouth to try to answer, he realized her question actually gave him the perfect chance to change topics. "Did you say Azarath?" he asked. Thinking about it, Arella never did mention the name of the place. The fact that it was the same as Raven's spell couldn't be something as simple as coincidence. If this _was_ her home, it looked vastly different from what he imagined.

"Yes, our land is called Azarath," the woman answers with a hint of a smile. "We don't get many guests so your presence here is...curious to say the least. Still, I must thank you for your help. Whatever you did, it saved Rachel's life. Without your actions, the results would have been...less than pleasant for her and for all of us. For that, I am in your debt."

Raziel felt the heat rising slightly to his cheeks. Saving the girl wasn't exactly something he planned; it just happened. "You're welcome...I guess," he answered, hoping she didn't notice his slight hesitation. Seeing that she didn't, he found his thoughts drifting back to the girl as he watched her sleeping on the cot beside him, the . "So she's going to be all right, then?"

"Yes. She will be exhausted for the next few days but otherwise she will be fine. I don't know why you have come to our lands but for whatever reason it must have been destiny that you did."

'_Destiny, my arse,'_ Raziel snorted to himself. If he ever got his hands on Warp again, he _knew_ what that man's destiny was going to be. In the middle of his thoughts, Raziel realized something important. If _he_ fell into a portal and wound up here, perhaps Starfire landed somewhere here as well. "Actually, I _am_ looking for someone. Maybe you've seen her. Red hair, orange skin, green eyes, perpetually happy," he starts to say, listing off every description he could think of the Tamaranian.

"You certainly have a way of describing your friend but I can't say that we've heard of anyone like that," she answered in an amused tone at his vivid description but her eyes betrayed the fact she was sorry she couldn't help. "We are a small community so any stranger coming to our lands would be immediately noticed, especially your unique friend. You have piqued my curiosity though. Tell me, how is it you actually arrived here?"

Raziel had heard that tone of voice only once. It was when Raven asked Beastboy why he thought it prudent to replace her tea with hot chocolate. Oh sure, she never raised her voice but the inflection in her tone promised extreme pain. While the lady didn't seem to promise any pain, he felt the air of authority around her suddenly charge so he told her of their chase of the criminal known as Warp and his and Starfire's jaunt through the strange space. He carefully left out Raven's death as talking about it brought forth too many painful emotions which he'd rather not dreg at the moment. As he finished his tale, the woman had a speculative look on her face which worried him. Thankfully, her answer calmed him somewhat.

"From what you described, you were right to assume you were fighting in the time stream. Your friend, this 'Starfire' you said? She is most likely in no immediate danger. I am guessing the machine she removed from his armor was a stabilizing element. The time stream is not one to be trifled with," she added with a lecturer's tone. "Honestly, some people believe that being able to travel through time makes grants them the authority to abuse it."

T-T-T

Elsewhere, a green haired lady (who will remain anonymously known as 'Time Bitch') sneezed as she was fiddling with the controls to the gates of time, the contents of her sneeze flying into the portal which then passed through a radioactive nebula somewhere in an unknown part of the milky way. This caused it to suddenly developed a consciousness, pondering things like 'Who am I?', 'Why was I born?', and 'Is that Elvis driving by?'. But that, my friends, is another story for another time.

Back to our story.

T-T-T

"So you think she's all right?" Raziel asked, the memory of how the place 'felt' leaving doubts in his mind as to his friend's condition. He shuddered as he remembered how all his senses went haywire when he fell in the portal. When he was first there his rage overrode his common sense but now that he had a chance to analyze it, the portal itself was the only thing really that hurt but he had come out relatively unscathed.

"I believe she is," assured the robed woman. "From your story, the two of you did not spend a great deal of time unprotected in the time stream. If you did, suffice to say the results are not entirely pleasant. She most likely stranded in another time period but given how you described her, I think she can take care of herself so you needn't worry about your...friend."

He let out a sigh of relief that at least Starfire was ok, missing the slight inflection at the word 'friend'. However, remembering Raven's own living-impaired situation ruined whatever good mood he got upon discovering Starfire's condition. Pushing the depressing image out of his head, he focused on the task which he _could_ do something about, namely rescuing the missing Tamaranian. As if reading his mind, the woman stood up and gave a soft smile.

"I will attempt to search for a way to find your friend and send the two of you back to your world as it is the least I could do. It may take some time as there are many tomes that need to be revisited. Would you be so kind as to watch over Rachel while I am gone?"

Before he could even retort the woman was gone, leaving him alone with the young girl and no idea of what to do. Thankfully she was still asleep which made his job that much easier. From the way she slept, you would never know the trauma she had just been through. _'She reminds me of Tabitha,'_ he thought to himself. But then again, aside from Tabitha, Rachel was only the second child he actually had to interact with. He wondered how Jinx had actually found the girl given the topic never came up. He would have to ask her if...when he returned. It was then that the girl started to stir in her bed, as soft moan escaping her lips just before she shot up with a start. Her face still hidden by the cloak she wore, he started to feel the fear radiating off her as she shrunk away from him, her body tensing as if expecting an attack.

"I suppose it wouldn't help that I'm lying here bandaged, would it?" he asks rhetorically hoping to placate the girl. Instead, it caused Rachel to further shrink away, her body shaking with undisguised fear which caused Raziel to sweat worriedly. Given his body's new injuries, the last thing he needed was for her to lose control again. "Hey, want to see a little trick?" he asks hurriedly, forcing himself to a seated position. Looking around, he found some dolls on Rachel's bed which looked just about light enough for what he needed. _'I hope no one ever hears of this,'_ he groaned silently. Raising his good arm, he concentrated his power and levitated the two toys into the air. Calling them to himself, he began to make them dance with each other in a waltz he pulled from memory. Of course, it took a hell of a lot more control and concentration than he was used and took up an absurd amount of energy to manage since Raven never had the chance to teach him further but he could see the fear in her eyes slowly changing to awe. He allowed himself a brief smirk at successfully placating Rachel. Now if only that lady would come back soon as he had no intention of continuing this all day.

T-T-T

The ancient, dusty tomes were laid out on the stone table, their reader's face scrunched up in quiet contemplation as she attempted to find the spell that would send their visitor back to his own time. There was a reason time travel spells were considered forbidden and she had intended to keep them that way. There were too many variables to consider; too many possibilities that could happen. But she knew there were other methods. She had created many of the tomes here which in this library but there were others that were found when they first migrated to this land; one of which was the one she was reading now. As she turned the page of the tome she was reading, she came across a particular entry that didn't seem familiar. It had references to a 'lock' and a 'key' but didn't elaborate any further. Upon going through the whole entry she nearly dropped the tome in shock, finally making the connection with her nagging thoughts earlier. Taking the tome with her, she heads back to where she left the boy to inform him of her findings. Upon entering the room, she was surprised at what she saw.

She was sure Rachel would not have awoken yet given what the girl had gone through so seeing her wide awake was worrying; she had expected her to panic upon seeing Raziel or any person for that matter. Instead, the girl was actually riveted at the scene before her. Looking to the source of Rachel's merriment, she saw the spectacle the teen was performing with the dolls. The amount of control he was showing was impressive and was a testament to whoever taught him. However, the tired expression on his face showed that he was probably close to his limit already.

"I see that you are better with children than I realized. Perhaps while I am researching the spell, you can take care of young Rachel," she joked, for a brief moment forgetting the reason she had rushed back in the first place. Her words apparently broke his concentration as the dolls he was levitating suddenly stopped hovering and fell on the bed. She could see the boy glare at her from his obvious irritation. Rachel's attention had also shifted from him to her but she could see her eyes linger on the dolls for a bit before looking back to her, a lost expression on her face. Taking a seat on Rachel's bed, she sat beside the girl and hugged the child gently hoping that she wasn't traumatized too greatly by the day's earlier events. "I am sorry for taking so long. I hope she wasn't too much trouble."

"No problem at all," he answers with a forced smile, silently plotting to take his revenge on the woman for making an injured man work.

"In any case, I wanted to let you know that we may have found a way to help you," the woman says.

Raziel froze upon hearing her words, interrupted from his happy thoughts of vengeance. He didn't expect her to find anything so soon. It couldn't have been more than an hour since she had left them. If it was true, then he could find Starfire and just maybe...he could save Raven as well. "I...I guess it's my turn to thank you, Lady..." he replies. His voice trailed off as he realized he didn't even know her name.

Recognizing his dilemma, the lady couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. "Then it appears we both require introductions," she answered as placed Rachel onto her lap, the girl clinging on to her robe as she idly stroked the girl's head. Looking straight at Raziel, she gave him a gentle smile as she told him her name.

T-T-T

Raziel couldn't believe that he was speaking to Azar herself. It was almost with divine reverence that Raven used to say the name. Over the next hour, the two talked about her land and people, Raziel discovering more about Azarath than he did about Jump City. Apparently Azar led her people off Earth centuries ago to found their pacifistic society. Given that she left him to fend for himself with Rachel, he told Azar she looked good for her age which earned him a glare from the ancient sorceress and a swift thwack from a floating pillow. As Rachel let out a brief giggle at his predicament, he heard several bangs in the adjoining room which caused the three of them to glance in its general direction.

"Looks like Luna got into the room again, aunt Azar," Rachel states quietly, "I thought you made sure she couldn't get in?" the girl wonders out loud.

Azar give Rachel a sad smile as she gently ruffled her hair. "It seems she is more resourceful than I had realized," she answers softly, the pained expression in her eyes not going unnoticed by Raziel. "I will take care of cleaning up. For now you need to do your meditation exercises."

Raziel watched Rachel pout at being dismissed. As she started to leave the room, she turned to him and gave him a look which he couldn't quite read but it was so brief that he couldn't really make anything of it anyway. As the girl's footsteps grew distant, he turned back to the sorceress with a raised eyebrow as he made himself comfortable. "You know, I may have been here in Azarath very briefly but I don't seem to recall seeing any cats in your home."

Azar let out a chuckle as she brushed a stray hair away from her eyes. "You are more observant than you let on, Raziel. Come, walk with me."

Grumbling about making injured people move about, Raziel forces himself to his feet and follows Azar, the two of them finally stopping inside the huge library of her home. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"I am sure you noticed the look Rachel gave you earlier," Azar begins. "She has begun to warm up to you and as much as I would like for her to start making friends, We have much to discuss." Waving a hand in front of a seemingly ordinary bookcase, it fades away to reveal an intricate mirror. Seeing Raziel start to interject, she holds up a hand to stop his tirade. "The spell I found can send you to any place and time but time, forgive the pun, is of the essence."

Raziel waited for Azar to explain her words but when she didn't say anything, he peered into the mirror and saw an image of a full moon. "I don't get what you want to show me. What's so important about the moon?" The priestess waved her hand over the mirror once more, the moon's image being overlaid with what appeared to be an intricate pattern that nagged at his memory. It was of a circular design with glyphs and symbols all around but what caught his attention was the moon as it moved through the diagram; the celestial object finally stopping at approximately 12 o'clock in the circle which caused a swirling mass of energy to form in its center.

"The spell requires the alignment of Azarath's full moon with a very specific location here." As she speaks, the image once again shifts, now displaying a temple located in the outskirts of the city. "The place is here, ironically very close to where you met Rachel. The reason we must move post-haste is because the full moon is tomorrow night. More specifically, it will reach its full zenith at midnight." The image zooms in further to reveal an intricate door that had a mural of a winged being with an eerily familiar flaming sword in its hands.. "This temple was ancient when we first came to this land. None have been able to pierce its secrets but it appears that you hold the key."

Raziel resisted the urge to curse as soon as he saw the image. He could barely summon the Reaver right now and he wasn't sure if he would be able to by tomorrow. Even then, how it functioned as a 'key' was still a mystery. "And if it doesn't work?" he asks, his injured hand gripping the sheets as he held back his frustration.

"Then Rachel gets a new playmate for one year," Azar answers as she deactivates the mirror, its façade once more replaced with an ordinary bookcase. "I have healed your body as much as I could without jeopardizing your health so I suggest you get some rest till then."

Raziel took one last glance at where the mirror once was before following Azar. If he had bothered to look closer at the image earlier, he would have recognized a very familiar cliff in the background.

T-T-T

Rachel blinked as she found herself laying face-first in a small puddle of drool. Hurriedly wiping her face before someone noticed, she squinted as the first rays of sunlight entered her room. She didn't know when she had fallen asleep but it wouldn't do to let Azar see her like that. Straightening her robe, she slowly tiptoed her way out of the room hoping to find some cloth to clean the floor with. As she was about to step outside, she came across the boy who played with her yesterday. He had a look of concentration on his face as he stood in the garden; his right arm outstretched trying to grasp something. She could almost sense how calm and collected he was as wisps of energy trying to coalesce around his hand. Lady Azar had tried to teach her how to meditate but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't find her center. Before it could solidify into anything, he collapsed to his knees, grasping his arm in pain as he struggled to catch his breath.

"DAMN IT!"

Rachel flinched as he cursed, hiding behind the doorway's arch in fear as she felt his anger like a burning flame. As she started to walk away, she felt a wave of sorrow wash over her and froze, turning her gaze once more to the teen who was kneeling on the ground. It was brief but she knew it wasn't her imagination. For a moment she had an internal debate with herself but after a few seconds she resolved herself and began walking.

Raziel gripped his wrist as it throbbed with pain. He still wasn't healed enough to use the Reaver as shown by his latest attempt to summon it; it barely even solidified itself before his arm gave out. He supposed if he didn't help the girl before he probably would be able to summon it by now but if he didn't save the girl then he would never have known about this way to possibly save Starfire and just maybe Raven as well. If it was for those two, he would do anything to save them. Getting back up to his feet, he once more calls upon the Reaver, feeling the familiar flow of energy wrap around his arm as it began to materialize itself. However, as his arm began to spasm once more he felt his concentration break, the Reaver energy dispelling once more. Looking back at his arm, he saw that blood had started to soak the bandage. Taking off the wet linen, he flinched as he saw the huge gash that had reopened. Lacking any real fresh bandages, he proceeds to tear his robe when a pair of small hands laid themselves on his injury.

"Please don't destroy the robes," a soft voice asks. "Those are holy garments so it's disrespectful to do so."

Looking to the source of the voice, Raziel found Rachel hunched over his arm, her hands glowing with a pale white light. He couldn't help but blink in surprise as he saw the injury on his arm slowly healing. "You're very good." He was surprised to see her flinch slightly but she continued to heal him nonetheless.

"It's...something Lady Azar taught me," she answers quietly as she finished up healing the arm, immediately hiding herself within her cloak.

Raziel gave his arm a tentative flex and was surprised to find it completely healed. Azar herself said she could only heal his injuries so far. For Rachel to do so spoke volumes about the sheer power the child contained. He tried to get a good look at her face but the way she wore her hood kept hiding the details of her face; even his above average vision couldn't peer into the shadows. _'If she's going to be private, I suppose the least I could do is not pry.'_ Giving the girl a smile, he gets back up and holds out his right arm, once more focusing his powers to summon the Reaver.

"..."

Raziel stopped in the middle of his summoning, giving the girl a curious look as he tried to process her question. "Excuse me?"

"What were you doing? It doesn't look like anything that I've read in Lady Azar's library."

"And how would you know what's in Lady Azar's books?" Raziel asks with a raised eyebrow, more than slightly curious at how such a young girl would be interested in reading those dusty tomes. The girl hung her head low in apparent embarrassment at being caught doing something she shouldn't have.

"I...I just like reading," Rachel countered, unable to look the boy in the eye.

Releasing his hold on his powers, he takes a seat in front of the little girl and placed a hand on her head, messing up her hair through the cowl. "It's a form of meditation to summon my powers. A...friend of mine taught me how not so long ago. Unfortunately, it seems like I can't seem to find my center as easy as before," he answers, gripping his fist tightly as he felt frustration at his inability to summon the Reaver.

"Can you teach me what you were doing?" Rachel asks quietly.

"Sorry, but my powers are something unique to me. I'm not sure if I could really teach you anything."

"I see...thank you for your time."

After saying that, the girl seemed to shrink further into her cloak as she pulled away from him, trembling briefly before heading back into the house. Raziel couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in confusion. _'What's wrong with her?' _he thought. Looking at his now fully healed right arm, he gave a snort of frustration as he felt his conscience nagging at him again.

T-T-T

Rachel left hurriedly as she felt her chest start to tighten. The only persons who seemed to be willing to talk to her were Azar and her own mother (albeit the latter was very sporadic) so she hoped he wouldn't mind spending some time with her but it seemed even he didn't want anything to do with her either. Finding the cloth she needed, she returned to her room and began wiping the spot where she had fallen asleep, making sure that no evidence remained of her embarrassing act. Just as she finished, she heard a knock at her door, causing her to yelp in surprise and hide the wet rag. Whirling around, she saw the boy leaning against the doorway looking at the ceiling.

"I was just thinking that midnight is still a long ways off. If you're not doing anything, I can teach you what I know."

She could see him glance at her, his eyes expecting her answer. Giving him an almost imperceptible nod, he gave her a smirk and approached her; his hand once more landing on her head. "Then I suppose we should get started."

Over the next few hours, Rachel listened as Raziel tried to teach her the basics of using her powers. Azar never taught her anything except meditation saying that until she was 'ready', that was all she would learn. At least he tried to teach her something a tad more useful. As she tried to find her center, she could 'see' the glowing white light that represented it but it just seemed out of reach. Her frustration reaching a peak, she tried forcing it to the surface when Raziel broke her out of her concentration when he snapped his fingers in front of her face.

"Don't force it," he tells her. "Remember the friend I told you about? She told me that it's something that can only be achieved if you empty your thoughts." His expression turned melancholy as if remembering something but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. "I'm nowhere near as good as she is but she told me it's like slowly emptying a teapot until all that's left are the tea leaves." Seeing the confusion on her face, he dismisses his statement with a wave of his hand. "Never mind. You'll understand I suppose when you're older. Guess I'm not really much of a teacher, am I?"

"No you're not," Rachel answers.

Raziel raised an eyebrow at the blunt statement as he bit back a retort. For an instant it almost felt like he was talking with _her_ again. As he was about to let out an exaggerated sigh he heard her talk again.

"But that's ok," comes the shy answer.

He gave mock snort of disgust which caused the girl to giggle briefly. Looking at the sky, he saw that it was already noon (or at least what he surmised to be noon) so he stood up and stretched his body. "Well, I've got to get back to my own practice. I'll see you later, Rachel." Walking back towards the garden, he stops when he heard her call out to him.

"Why do you try so hard? What's so important that you have to force yourself so much?" the girl asks as she hung her head low, seemingly embarrassed at even asking the question. _'Can't you stay longer?'_ she asks silently.

Scratching his head at the sudden question, he turns to look at her with an expression she couldn't quite understand. "Because I need to be stronger this time...strong enough to protect those precious to me," Raziel answers.

As he left her in her room with the cryptic answer, Rachel frowned as she tried to understand what he meant by that. After a few minutes of useless thinking she decided to try Raziel's suggestion and headed to the kitchen to make herself some tea. Tea was something she saw Lady Azar always drink but the bitter taste was something she couldn't get used to. Looking around the kitchen, she found a steaming pot lying on the counter. Finding no one in the room, she reached over and poured herself a cup. As she placed down the pot, she watched the steam rise from her cup, her eyes following the swirling patterns they made. Raising the cup to her lips, she started trembling as she remembered the bitter taste the tea left in her mouth.

"I can't do it!" she moans to herself, putting down the teacup; the memories of when she last tried tea were still too fresh in her mind. Still, she couldn't put Raziel's words out of her head. Steeling herself, her face became a mask of determination as she raised the cup for a sip.

Raziel lost concentration once more as a yell of pain rang from the house. _'Rachel!'_ His body moving of its own volition, he rushed into the house ready to defend the little girl. Upon reaching her room, he nearly fell flat on his face at the scene before him. On the floor was a teacup whose contents had spilled on the floor. Next to the cup sat a whimpering Rachel who was rapidly fanning her tongue.

"Burned your tongue, didn't you?" he asks rhetorically as he picked up the fallen cup. Rachel gave him something that looked like a cross between a glare and a pout which caused him to bite back a snort of laughter. Pouring the girl a new cup, he was surprised when a familiar scent wafted towards his nose. _'It couldn't be,'_ he thought. As he sniffed at the tea he knew he couldn't be wrong; this was the same tea that Raven drank. "Rachel, where did you get this?" he asks.

"Lady Azar always makes it," the girl answers. "I don't like it though. It's bitter."

Raziel eyed the cup with a calculating eye. Like master, like student, he supposed. Raven must have studied under Azar at one point which would explain her preference for that particular tea. He gave a tired sigh as everything in this place reminded him of Raven. Handing the cup to Rachel, he poured one for himself and raised it to the confused girl.

Rachel watched the boy drink the tea with a curious gaze. Unlike her, he didn't try to drink it all at once but simply stared at the cup for a few seconds like he was...relaxing? For the first time since they met, she actually saw his face calm down and lose the tense expression he always seemed to carry. _'Did the tea really do that?' _she wondered. Following his need, she took a small sip of her tea but frowned as it still tasted bitter.

Raziel chuckled as Rachel made sour face swallowing the tea. "Don't force yourself if you don't like it," he admonishes. The girl simply gives a huff and takes another sip. However the expression on her face made it clear what her real thoughts on the matter were. Placing his empty teacup on the counter, he gives the girl a soft smile and returns to his training, leaving her staring at the contents of her teacup.

T-T-T

Raziel watched the sun set over the horizon, his body covered with sweat as he tried to catch his breath. It had taken him nearly the whole day but he had finally been able to materialize the Reaver. Granted it hadn't been more than a few seconds each time, it was still progress. He hoped it would be enough for what lay ahead as he didn't really want to wait another year to try again; he wouldn't allow Warp that luxury. Looking back at Azar's humble domicile, he was somewhat curious that Rachel didn't come out since he left her in the kitchen; he had at least expected her go play with her friends. Shrugging to himself, tries to summon the Reaver once more when Azar calls out from inside the house.

"It's time," she states.

No further explanation was needed for Raziel as he nodded at the ancient sorceress. Wiping the sweat off his brow, he noticed the bundle in Azar's arms, the bundle having a familiar blue shade.

"I had Arella repair your uniform. While it's design is...unique...to say the least, it is most intriguing that your scarf is made with Azarathian cloth. Only someone from our land has the knowledge to make this," she states, letting the unspoken question hang in the air.

Raziel's eyes widened slightly as he received his costume from Azar. He thought that only Beastboy and Starfire had a hand in his costume but hearing that _she_ was the one that made it confused him. "It...it's from a friend," he finally answers, not realizing his hand had gripped the scarf tightly.

Azar raised an eyebrow at the statement but held her piece. "No matter. The place we are going to defies all manner of magical transportation so it will be a long walk. I will be waiting for you in the main courtyard."

As Azar left him alone in the garden, he put on the Titans costume, feeling the familiar fabric rub against his skin. As painful as his last few memories wearing this costume were, he had missed it. Calling forth his powers, his eyes began to glow with their unearthly light as his soul's energy filled his body. Looking once more at Rachel's room, he considered saying goodbye to the quiet girl but decided that it was better he didn't; goodbyes were never really pleasant in his opinion. Wrapping the blood-red scarf to hide his face, he walked towards where Azar was waiting.

T-T-T

"We're here," Azar calls out as they stop at the temple's entrance.

Raziel couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu upon seeing the temple. While remarkably well preserved for its supposed age, something about it seemed eerily familiar. Walking past Azar, he stopped before a pair of heavy marble doors which had the winged being etched on it. "This is the door, right?" he asks, running a gloved hand over the door. He could see why Azar said no one had been able to get in. For one, the 'door' had no visible sign that it could even be opened. He could also sense powerful magic all around the structure. However, at the base of the door there was a large hole which was probably a keyhole.

"From the writings in the tome, it mentions there will be one who carries the will of the ancients. Only he will be able to unlock the secrets of the circle," Azar says as she walks up beside Raziel. "Honestly speaking, none have actually understood what that meant but after seeing your unique ability, I believe you hold the answer to the puzzle."

'_And the Reaver is the key,'_ Raziel thought as a stray memory came to the surface. Taking a deep breath, he starts focusing his power into his hand, the faint blue outline of the Reaver starting to take shape. To his shock, his arm was violently yanked by an unseen force as the Reaver blade shot directly into the keyhole. "What the hell?!" he manages to yell out as he felt his spiritual energy drain through the Reaver. He tries to dismiss the Reaver but found that whatever force held him there also kept the Reaver active.

"Raziel!" Azar rushes to the boy's side to try to free him but as she touches his shoulder she is suddenly tossed back by a telekinetic force unlike any she had ever encountered, her body flying several feet away from him. Shaking the cobwebs from her head, she gets back to her feet and started chanting. At the end of her chant, she released a blast of magical energy at the door but frowned as the energy dispersed harmlessly into the structure.

Raziel's legs started to buckle as he felt his energy leeching away. He glared at the door defiantly as his blood began to boil. _'I'll give you what you want!'_ Releasing all of his power into the Reaver, the keyhole flared brightly as it seemed to resonate with his energy. A loud rumbling could be heard from within the temple as his arm was suddenly released from the door. Stumbling backwards, the marble door started to rise into the ceiling. "Enjoy that, bastard?" he curses at the door as he got back to his feet.

"I'm guessing you didn't' know that would happen?" Raziel asks sarcastically at Azar who was brushing the dirt off her robe.

"I apologize. Nothing in the tome said anything about that happening." Waving a hand in front of the doorway, she gave a contemplative look before turning back to Raziel. "There does not seem to be anything ahead. I believe it is safe to continue." To highlight her point, she walks through the doorway and true enough, nothing happens to her.

As Raziel watched her form disappear into the shadows, he gave a shrug of resignation and followed her in, keeping all of his senses on alert just in case. The further inside he went, the stronger the feeling of déjà vu. It also felt like they were walking in circles even as they kept walking in a straight line. Lost in his thoughts, he bumped into Azar who had suddenly stopped in her path.

"My god..."

Raziel looked past the sorceress and saw a huge chamber with a claw-shaped piece of machinery hanging from the ceiling. _'The temple didn't look that big from the outside...'_ The chamber itself was several floors deep with an intricate pattern etched on the floor's center. Once again it seemed so familiar but he couldn't place his finger on it.

"I cannot help you any further than this. The writings were too vague and only mentioned what you seek is possible here in this room. How we are supposed to achieve that is beyond me."

Raziel nodded to Azar, giving his silent thanks to the sorceress. Looking for any signs or clues, he noticed several clock-like controls on each tier of the chamber. Deciding there was nothing to lose, he approaches the one closest to him and moves the hands of the clock. As he moved the hands, a loud rumbling permeated the chamber.

Azar's eyes darted around the room as she tried to search for the source of the sound. Her eyes finally settled on the large device on the ceiling as it began to slowly rotate. _'This energy...'_

Raziel sensed it as well. It was the same...no...similar to the energy he felt in the time stream. However, something still felt off about the energy signature. He leapt to the next tier and started playing around with that level's controls. As the ceiling device began to spin faster, he could also sense the energy levels start to rise.

Azar couldn't help but watch in awe as Raziel worked the controls of the device. While his actions seemed random, they actually seemed correct as the device continued to build up its temporal energies. Her attention shifted to the swirling portal that started to form in the center of the room. It was almost time.

Raziel was like a man possessed. He leapt from control to control making changes to the clockwork. It was like the place was telling him what to do. Moving the clock arm on what he believed to be the final setting, the swirling portal in the center of the room flared brightly for an instant then vanished. His eyes widened in shock at the missing portal. "What happened?!"

Azar looked around the room to try to find out what might have caused it to stop. Unless what Raziel did was wrong, there should have been a portal to the time stream. Looking to the ceiling, the large device had vanished as well; in its place was a view of the night sky. _'Of course!'_ she realized. "I suggest looking up, Raziel."

Following her gaze, his shock doubled as he saw skylight that had replaced the large device. As the shock left his system, he then noticed what it was that Azar was talking about; it wasn't the night sky itself but what was _in_ it. The full moon hung clear and bright in the sky but it seemed to be moving ever so slowly. "Lady Azar, is it midnight yet? Have we missed the window?"

"We shouldn't have," the sorceress ponders. "We arrived well before midnight but even I couldn't tell how much time we spent inside the temple itself." As if to answer her question, a beam of light shot down from the moon down to the center of the room. Upon striking the floor the portal suddenly reappeared in all its glory.

Raziel immediately leapt from the top tier, landing a few feet away from the portal. This time the sensation he was getting was different. While he was fiddling with the controls, the energy was wild...unstable. The feeling he was getting now was...a sense of stability. He still had the feeling that the portal should have been located somewhere else than the center of the room but dismissed it as he didn't have time for idle thoughts. "Is this it?" he asks Azar.

Azar nodded at Raziel as she walked up to his side. "While I am not familiar with the operation of this device, everything else matches up with what was written in the tome. This portal should be able to send you to any time and place of your choosing."

Raziel eyed the portal warily as he circled it. It was now or never, he supposed. He turns to Azar and gave a deep bow; the ancient sorceress returning it with one of her own. Taking a deep breath, he takes a step forward but a shout from the chamber's entrance calls his attention.

"I did it! I did it!" a girl's voice shouts.

Whirling around, Raziel caught sight of Rachel who was breathing heavily from her apparent run to the temple. In her hands she held an empty teacup which he assumed was from earlier that day. _'Did she spend all that time practicing?'_ The girl ran up to him and grabbed onto his cape.

"I found my center," she clarifies, hiding her face within the shadows of her cowl. "I...I wanted to tell you before you left."

"Rachel! You shouldn't have come here alone!" Azar admonishes, causing the young girl to flinch.

Raziel ignored Azar's statement and knelt down beside Rachel. "Looks like I was a better teacher than I thought," he jokes, placing a hand on the girl's head. Unlike earlier, she didn't bat his hand away this time. Instead, she latches on to him like a lifeline, burying her face in his shoulder.

"I'll be strong just like you."

Raziel couldn't help but be flattered at her praise. Smiling beneath his scarf, he gives her a friendly hug before separating himself from her. Rachel reluctantly let go and moved to Azar's side. Facing the portal, he couldn't help but feel a bit of apprehension as his one experiencing with time travel wasn't exactly the most pleasant one. Sticking an arm in, he was greeted by a sudden gust of wind from the portal. His arm didn't feel any different though so that was probably a good thing. Taking a deep breath, he pushes onward through the magical construct.

"Ah!"

Rachel's yell of surprise caught his attention just as he was more than halfway in. Turning around, his eyes widened in shock as Rachel's cowl had blown off. "Ra...!"

T-T-T

Raziel felt that unique sense of vertigo wash over his body as he was spit out of the portal. As his eyes started to clear, he saw a familiar blue cloaked girl being hugged by someone whose orange tinged skin couldn't be mistaken for anyone else.

"Starfire...Raven..." Raziel whispers. Apparently it was loud enough that the Tamaranian pulled him into her hug, crushing the two of them with her enhanced strength. It had worked...he was back on Earth and the two were alive and well. The rest of it seemed almost surreal as the Titans bombarded the three of them with questions. Opening his mouth to answer, he suddenly felt his body lock up as a deep baritone voice seemed to whisper in his head.

"_Forget."_

-To be continued.-

A/N: And there you have it! Ch. 16 (finally…sob…It's done!) in all it's glory. Thanks to everyone who's stayed with me so far. Sorry about missing the Friday deadline I set for myself but the chapter became longer than I expected. Ch. 17 is already in the works and I have a much clearer idea of what to write for that so it should be out May-ish.

T-T-T

Extra Epilogue (just a little something I thought of):

Rachel wrapped her cloak around her as she packed what little belongings she had. The dreams had gotten worse and worse. It would only be a matter of time before it happened so before that she had to act.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do, Rachel?" Arella asks as she walks into her room. Rachel had blossomed into a fine young woman but she wished things could have been different; she didn't want her to go.

"You and I both know this has to be done," she answers with a monotone voice. "No one here will do it."

"I know," she answers with a smile but Arella's eyes reflected her sadness at Rachel's tone. She had been so much more carefree when she was younger but Rachel had insisted in training under Azar. "Will we see you again?" she ask.

"I don't know," Rachel replies in the same monotone. Turning towards Arella, she started to take a step forward but hesitated, her arms falling limply to her side. As if responding to her unspoken words, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her, embracing her like she always had.

"Take care, Rachel."

Separating from Arella, Rachel gave a small smile before forcing it back down to the depths of core. "Goodbye, mother."

T-T-T

Appearing in the air, Rachel looked at her surroundings briefly before scrunching her nose as the city smells assaulted her. _'So this is Earth,'_ she comments to herself. She couldn't imagine living here with all the pollution. It was such a drastic change from her life back home. She recalled meeting someone from Earth so many years ago but the only thing she could remember about him was his scent and the feeling of his embrace. But then again she was only a child so it was understandable the memories would be hazy.

'_There's no use dwelling on the past,'_ she admonishes. She just hoped she was strong enough when the time came.

T-T-T

And NOW it's the end of the chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did.

- cmartist


	17. Jealousy Part 1

Souls Entwined

**Souls Entwined**

Disclaimer: The Souls Entwined story is my own concept. All characters are owned by their respective creators.

© 2007

**Jealousy (Part 1)**

Raziel stared at the ceiling as he lay down in his bed. He had awoken with a start that day with a supreme sense of dread. Something just felt...off...about today. It wasn't anything as dire as the end of the world or the like, but it nevertheless unnerved him. As such, he hadn't been able to get back to sleep at all.

That was six hours ago.

The sun was now out in full force and he was sure everyone was awake by now doing their own thing. _'Guess there's nothing to do but get up,'_ he sighed tiredly to himself. A quick shower and change later, he headed to the basement for a quick workout before breakfast. Passing by the machine shop, he heard Cyborg swearing just as a panicked Beastboy ran out. Cyborg soon stuck his head out as well, glaring at the changeling's retreating form as he let out an angry snort. "Trouble?" he asks.

"Only for BB if he interrupts me again while I'm working on my baby!" the cybernetic teen growls. His expression suddenly turned comically sad as he rushed over to the T-car. "My baby has a dent in her!"

Raziel slowly backed away from the bawling Titan, uneasy at seeing such a large person crying like a baby. Today was certainly turning out to be a strange day already. No longer feeling up to a workout, he decided to head upstairs once more. Perhaps talking to Raven would help him understand this feeling of dread.

T-T-T

In her room, Raven was staring intently at her bedside clock, trying desperately to reach a memory just at the fringes of her mind. Sadly it was exactly that; out of reach. Ever since she had come back from that botched up mission against Warp, something had felt off about the whole event. It frustrated her that she didn't know what it was and it irritated her that she was frustrated; she didn't really have the luxury of letting her emotions get a hold of her.

Squashing down the useless emotions, she pulls up a crystal ball she had brought from Azarath. It was one of the rarer artifacts from her homeland that it allowed the users to focus their thoughts. The only thing Azar told her about it was that it was made by the original inhabitants of Azarath and that it was extremely ancient. Carefully placing it in the middle of her room, she prepared to meditate and hopefully put those emotions of hers on ice once again. As she started to call out the spell to activate the device, the soft hiss of her room's doors break her tenuous concentration which caused a slight twitch on her eyebrow. _'Can't I get any peace and quiet?'_ she groans to herself. Opening one eye slightly, she sees her Tamaranian friend shyly peeking into her room, looking somewhat like a lost puppy.

"Friend Raven?" Starfire asks with some trepidation. She knew how much the girl valued her privacy so was naturally hesitant to interrupt her stoic friend.

Feeling the full force of the Puppy-dog stare™, Raven let out a tired sigh as she turned towards her female friend, probably blissfully unaware she was using the dreaded attack. "What is it, Star? You're not asking about going to the mall again, are you?"

"I am sorry, Raven. I did not mean to interrupt you but I...I was wondering if I may join you in your meditations," she answers, closing her eyes as she awaited the eventual verbal tirade she had come to expect from the pale girl.

Raven's eyes softened at the Tamaranian's request. The girl really did try to make an effort to be her friend and even went out of her way to join her in what most people would call boring things. Now that she thought about it, Starfire was her _only_ female friend. She wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing but her companionship was welcome. "Come on, Star," she finally responds, motioning for the girl to come join her.

Starfire's head bobbed gleefully as floated to a position in front of Raven. Mimicking the girl's meditation pose, she waited for Raven to start the session when she noticed the odd crystal ball between them. She eyed it curiously as the times she had joined Raven they had never used a crystal ball. Apparently Raven noticed her questioning gaze as she answered the unspoken question.

"It's an old Azarathian artifact. It's supposed to help users focus their mind during meditations." Starfire nodded in understanding as she resumed her meditation pose. Seeing that the question was answered, she started focusing her powers on the crystal ball. She watched the swirl of energy inside as the artifact started to activate. However, the expression on Starfire's face grew from curious to worried for some reason. "Star, is something wrong?"

"The energy you are releasing...it feels 'wrong' somehow. It is making me uneasy."

'_So that's it,'_ Raven thinks to herself. "Star, do you remember who my...father is?" she answers, struggling with actually calling him 'father.'

"Ah! I had forgotten!" the Tamaranian answers cheerfully.

There were trace hints of a smile gracing Raven's lips at Starfire's reaction. It was nice that Starfire never thought less of her despite her given parentage.

"Still I need absolute quiet to do this spell. We wouldn't want to summon any demons or ghosts now, would we?" Raven states in her usual monotone, enjoying the subtle joke as Starfire immediately clams up with a nervous look. "Just keep looking into the crystal ball. Focus your thoughts and visualize your center," she adds just before she began to chant. "Azarath, Metrion..." Just as she started her incantation, a hideous monstrous face suddenly appeared in the ball, its skin an ugly green shade and in its mouth there seemed to be long fangs that seemed to be dripping with drool. Logically, she and Starfire did what any normal person in their situation would do.

"AIEEEEEEEEE!"

"What? I just wanted to ask if you two wanted to be my official witnesses as I break the tofu eating world record," Beastboy huffs, lifting his head up from behind the crystal ball and holding up a freakishly large tub of tofu in his hand.

Raven blinked a few times before realizing that she was firmly latched on to Starfire. Hurriedly releasing the girl, she turns her irritation to Beastboy who was still oblivious to the fact he was interrupting them. "Let me think about it...no."

"But..."

"No."

"You..."

"No."

Dejected, the green teen leaves the two girls alone and heads off to try bugging another Titan. Maybe Robin was free.

Raven gave out a tired sigh as she watched the boy leave. She didn't really enjoy shooting him down (much) but she had more important things on her mind than watching him consume soy matter. Just as Beastboy left the room, she began to feel a familiar presence lingering just outside the door. "You can stop hiding now," she deadpans.

T-T-T

As Raziel had approached Raven's room, he heard the two females talking well before he was within their own hearing range. _'I guess she's busy,'_ he says to himself as he could make out something about meditation. While she was the only person he could really ask about any 'hunches' or 'feelings' of dread, he 'respected her privacy' (which was his own way of saying he valued his life) so he decided to come back later. At least that's what he planned on doing until he heard them scream. Rushing to her room, he was about to enter her domicile when he remembered what Raven had threatened on him, Cyborg, and Beastboy upon anyone entering her room again without her permission.

"_I can make you scream like you've never screamed before. I can show you things darker beyond the blackest pitch. I will make you wish you were dead. Understand?"_

He gave an involuntary shudder as he pictured what Raven would do to him, somewhat in awe of the girl that she could actually make him afrai...err...cautious. As such, he decided to stay within earshot instead, hiding himself in the shadows near her door. Given that he didn't sense anything malevolent inside which at least meant she wasn't in any immediate danger. It was a strange feeling of appropriateness that he got as he blended with the darkness. From his vantage point, he watched as Beastboy shuffled dejectedly out of the girl's room, his expression brightening again as he rushed off towards who knew where. He found it strange that the green teen was still alive which he chakled down as something to do with the feeling of dread he had since this morning. As he started to walk away, he heard Raven's monotone voice call out to him.

"You can stop hiding now."

Surprised that she actually knew he was there, Raziel tried to act nonchalant as he slowly stepped out of the shadows and leaned against door's frame. "I wasn't hiding. I heard you scream so I was...worried."

"First of all, I don't scream," Raven retorted dryly even though a (small) part of her was touched he was worried. She was mildly surprised to see him out of costume but dismissed it as nothing. He still wore his red scarf which left 'Pink' with a warm fuzzy feeling. She mentally told her other selves to beat the tar out of 'Pink' until the feeling went away as she felt her face warm slightly. "But isn't your room just down the hall. Why'd it take you so long to come in if you were worried?"

"I said I was worried, not suicidal. I still remember what you told me _that_ night," he answers with a wry grin. "And if you're done 'not screaming', then I suppose I should leave. People to do, things to see and all that."

Raven blinked as Raziel left the room, surprised that he still remembered her idle threat those weeks ago; Beastboy and Cyborg had the memory retention of a goldfish and every so often had to be reminded of that fact. Starfire was an exception as she was just Starfire. It was nice that someone actually listened to her for once. Turning her attention back to Starfire, the two resumed their interrupted meditations.

T-T-T

Raziel frowned as he left Raven with Starfire; the feeling of dread had _increased_ when he got closer to the pale girl. Something told him that maybe he should spend the day outside the Tower for now as his sense of self-preservation started kicking in for once. He figured if anything came up, they could always contact him on his communicator so he packed the device and headed out to the city, just missing the yells of anger coming from the Tower's training grounds.

It wasn't long until he found himself in the park, having found a nice isolated spot away from most of the weekend crowd. With his trademark costume replaced with a simple blue jacket and jeans, not a soul recognized him as walked through the crowd. However, he still kept his red scarf as he (not that he would admit to anyone) felt naked without it. Levitating a fair number of rocks into the air, he proceeded to manipulate them so they formed various shapes in the air. Ever since that day they failed to catch Warp, he seemed to have gained a measure of control over his telekinetic powers. It was still nowhere near the level of power Raven had but it was fine-tuned enough that he could probably pour the pale girl a cup of tea quite easily if he really wanted to.

Still, the fact that being around Raven seemed to increase that level of dread he was feeling frustrated him to no end. He hoped that by moving away from the Tower it would decrease and for a while it did. However, the longer he stayed in the park, the feeling had slowly begun to increase once more. As the sense of dread heightened, his enhanced hearing picked up the sound of someone sneaking in the bushes. At first he thought Raven had followed him but upon sensing a familiar energy spike he decided to fire one of the stones at the person instead. Telekinetically launching it into the bush, he smirked as a shout of surprise came from inside the shrub.

"Ouch! What did you do that for?!"

Opening his eyes, Raziel saw a pink-haired girl rubbing her head where he had struck her, an angry frown on her face as she crawled from behind the bush. He was mildly surprised to see her wearing a white belly tee and plaid skirt as opposed to her usual black costume. "Oh, were you there? I thought you were a cat," he deadpans, earning him a glare from the sorceress.

"Jerk!" Jinx retorts, stomping the ground with her platform boots.

Raziel suddenly felt the ground shift beneath him as he fell into a hex-created hole, his concentration breaking which caused all the rocks he was levitating to fall on top of him. Leveling a glare of his own at the girl, he calmly pulled himself out of the hole and sat down on another spot. As he resumed his meditations, he felt Jinx lean against his back and let out a contented sigh. As she did, he felt the same amount of dread that he sensed when he was around Raven, his eyes shooting open as he glanced worriedly at the girl.

"So, feel like talking?"

"About what?" he asks as he racked his brain for a way to distance himself from Jinx. The whole reason he was alone in the park was because of that worrying sensation when he was in the tower. With Jinx giving off the same vibe, it made him wonder how the two were related. However, his answer apparently irritated the H.A.E.Y.P graduate as she rapped him on the head.

"Just because I'm not all empathy like miss gloom-and-doom doesn't mean I can't tell when something's bothering you," she retorts, crossing her arms over her chest. The silence that followed continued for several minutes as Jinx waited for his answer. "Well?" she reiterates.

"First off, how did you find me?" Raziel asks.

"It wasn't all that hard, you know. You've been putting out so much energy I'm surprised no one else noticed," Jinx explains. "It's not like the park is all that big, y'know. You should be thankful it was me that found you first," she adds with a smirk.

"Speaking of the park..." Raziel starts to ask. "Aren't you afraid of getting caught? It _is _broad daylight and I'm pretty sure the police are still looking for you."

"Stop trying to change the subject!" she huffs. "To answer you question, all the cops are looking for is a pink-haired girl robbing some bank or jewelry store. I'm just an everyday punk girl hanging out with her boyfriend," she cheerfully counters, whipping out a black wig that had streaks of pink in it. "They can't catch what they can't find, after all."

That comment caught his attention as he looked over his shoulder to face the girl. "I don't think one wig is going to fool anyone," he deadpans. "And how did I jump from friend to boyfriend?"

"Since you bopped me on the head, of course," Jinx answers, deftly putting on the wig and wrapping her arms around the surprised boy's neck. "And now, by the power vested in me by the seven lucky gods, you are taking me on a date!"

Before he could even protest her decision, he found himself being dragged off by the surprisingly strong girl. He once more began to curse his luck as he felt an overbearing sense of doom™ just lurking around the corner.

T-T-T

Raven let out a scowl as the T-sub/jet/'whatever Cyborg decided to call it' landed in the park. Robin had interrupted her meditation session with news of an 'energy spike' in the middle of the park. The spike itself was unusual but the fact it happened in somewhere as populated as the city park without getting reported was worrying. Given the amount of trouble the city seemed to get into, it was probably on par with their usual days. Disembarking from their ride, she and Starfire began to search for any signs of the supposed energy spike from the air while the guys scanned the ground.

'_Those two sure picked a fine day to disappear,'_ Raven grouses as she hovered over the park. They had tried contacting both Beastboy and Raziel but for some reason neither were answering their comm. She had felt Robin's anger at the two given her empathic senses and idly wondered how long he would be chewing out the absentees. She was so lost in her thoughts that she nearly missed the large patch of burnt grass which most likely was caused by their culprit. "Raven here," she says into her communicator. "I found something." Keeping a safe distance from the scene, she waited patiently for her team to arrive.

The rest of the team soon converged on her location. Cyborg activated his Geiger counter and let out a sigh of relief as it barely made any noise. "It's clean," he states.

Robin knelt in front of the burnt vegetation, eyeing the damage to the area with a trained eye. "Plasma burns," he says out loud. "But whatever made it, the patterns don't match up with anything we've ever encountered before. I want everyone to search this area. Maybe we can find some clues." Just as he stands up, Starfire's gasp catches his attention.

"This is..." the girl starts, picking up a Titans communicator. Raven plucks it out of her hands and her face immediately scrunches up in pain, causing the girl to blink in confusion.

"It's Beastboy's, all right," Raven answers the unspoken question while wrinkling her nose. "Don't ask me how I know," she adds as she handed it over to Cyborg.

Cyborg takes a tentative whiff before tearing his face away from the device. "Yup. It's BB's. Smell's like day-old tofu"

"Now the question is where _is_ Beastboy."

Robin's face starts to frown as several different scenarios started to formulate in his mind, none of them had very pretty outcomes. "All right team, split up and search. Since both Raziel and Beastboy are missing, they may have found whatever caused these plasma burns are related so keep your eyes open for anything unusual."

"You mean like that?" Raven states in her typical monotone as she points off in the distance.

As the rest of the Titans turn towards the direction she pointed to, they see a green canine running towards them with seemingly nary a care in the world.

"Beastboy!" Starfire calls gleefully as she opens her arms to welcome the slobbering dog. However, instead of jumping into her arms like he normally would, the shape-shifting teen rushed past her and immediately tackled their pale tea-drinking companion, licking her face and drenching her with doggie drool. "Bad Beastboy!" Starfire admonishes, hurriedly pulling the dog off the Azarathian before Raven decided that neutering was in order.

Raven gave the dog a glare, wiping the drool off her face with her cape and making a mental note to burn this cowl when she got home. "I am going to count to three and by the time I'm done, either you explain why you felt like lathering my face or a certain green dog is becoming extinct," she growls.

Said Titan simply gave a happy bark and started chasing his tail, stopping only to lick himself before resuming the circular motion.

"Ok...I did not need to see that," Raven deadpans, nearly forgetting the reason she was mad at the canine as she fought the nausea that started bubbling in her stomach.

"Friend Beastboy, why do you not return to human form?" the Tamaranian asks as she picks up her green companion. The only answer Starfire got was a series of playful licks to her face which caused her brow to crease in puzzlement.

"Maybe whatever caused these burns did something to BB," Cyborg interjects. "Maybe he _can't_ turn back."

"But what could have done this?" Robin ponders out loud.

While the two Titans discussed how to best help their green friend, Raven's eyes narrowed at the canine and released her senses, trying to see if she could 'see' anything that ordinary people couldn't. Her eyes widened slightly as she found him giving off a 'fuzzy' impression; it was like he was there but her senses couldn't determine what he was. _'I hate to admit it, but Raziel would probably be much better at sensing this stuff than I am,'_ she thinks to herself.

T-T-T

Raziel sneezed as he and Jinx walked up one of the city's main shopping districts. He could sense the happiness she was radiating as she glanced at the stores' displays. He couldn't help but worry as he could sense a small amount of greed come out when she eyed certain shops; he hoped it didn't mean she would rob them later. However, his mind decided to concentrate on other things, more specifically two soft globes that started pressing into his arm. _'Hmm...not as big as Raven's'_ he mused, his face flushing moments later as he realized what he was thinking about.

Jinx on the other hand was oblivious to Raziel's fidgeting, instead watching the two girls who walked by with narrowed eyes; she didn't like how they started eyeing Raziel so she latched on tighter to the taller teen, reveling in the jealous stares from the teens. She considered sticking out her tongue at them but decided she was happy enough just by the expression on their faces. With the 'threat' dealt with, she turned her grin back on Raziel who she finally noticed seemed to be having some difficulty breathing. "Hey, you ok, Razzie?"

"I'm fine..." he answers, completely missing the fact she called him 'Razzie' as he hoped she would let go of his arm soon. Thankfully for him, something came along which forced Jinx to let go. From around the corner, a green dog came rushing at the two carrying what appeared to be a red fender. His body reacting on instinct, he lifts up Jinx bridal style and leaps over the canine, the girl letting out a surprised squeak as he watched the dog run off. "Beastboy?"

The dog immediately stopped and turned towards the sound of his voice. It seemed to eye him suspiciously for a moment before dropping the bumper to the ground, a grin on its face.

'_Wait...dogs can't smirk, can they?'_

Before he finish that thought, the dog ran to him with a manic look in its eyes. It leapt with such speed that all he could do was blink as it barreled into him and Jinx. Reflexively closing his eyes, instead of a bite on his neck he heard Jinx yell in protest.

"AUGH! Get it off!!"

Opening his eyes, he saw Jinx struggling to push the slobbering dog away from her face as it covered her in drool. After a few seconds of ceaseless licking, Beastboy finally grew tired and ran off, leaving a damp Jinx in his wake. He tried to process what had just happened when his senses were overwhelmed with the most murderous killing intent he could remember. Slowly turning his gaze to the girl in his arms, he felt a shiver go down his spine at the angry glint in her eyes.

"THAT DOG'S GETTING NEUTERED!"

T-T-T

"Change!"

Beastboy barely heard the command as he suddenly felt the urge to clutch the family jewels like his life depended on it. "Brrr...what was tha...BZZZZZT!...YEOUCH!"

"Change!"

T-T-T

Raziel watched the ensuing chaos as Jinx leapt out of his arms and ran off after Beastboy; the sorceress firing bolts of her bad luck magic at the dog like a madwoman. As the two disappeared around a corner, Raziel heard the haggard breathing of someone coming from the direction the changeling had come from. Turning around, he saw Raven with a surprised look on her face upon seeing him, her outfit looking damp for some reason. However, the look of surprise was quickly replaced by her usual emotionless facade.

"Where have you been?" she asks in her typical monotone. "I...Robin's been looking...Never mind. Did you see Beastboy?"

Pointing off in the direction Jinx had run off, Raziel noticed the same angry glint in Raven's eyes just before she headed down the street. It was then the shock of what Beastboy had done had worn off and the realization of what _he_ had done sunk in.

"Oh, sh..."

T-T-T

"It's payback time, mutt!" Jinx growls as she cornered the green dog. It looked at her curiously like she wasn't a threat at all which caused her left eye to twitch. Raising a glowing hand at her target, she stopped as the dog seemed to sniff something in the air. Sniffing herself, she wrinkled her nose in disgust at the pungent odor. "It's all your dog drool!" Forgetting herself, she leapt at the dog which just deftly side-stepped her lunge. It seemed to grin at her like it was taunting her. At first she thought it was her imagination but then it started wiggling its butt at her.

'_Oh, you did not just do that!'_

Charging at the dog, she leaps into the air using her H.I.V.E. training to move faster than any normal person could. Unfortunately her opponent wasn't exactly human as it jumped onto the building across the street. With nothing to stop her movement, Jinx lost to Newton's first law and careened forward into the next available object.

Crashing into the person, Jinx groaned as her head throbbed from where they collided. She starts to lift herself off the person when she heard a voice that froze her in her tracks.

"I'll thank you not to touch me there," comes a barely restrained monotone voice.

Jinx let out a mousey 'eep' as there was only one person she knew who had that voice; the same person who had the worst fashion sense ever. A fight with _her_ was the last thing she needed right now so she tried to backpedal away but wound up falling flat on her rear. She clenched her eyes shut as she waited for the inevitable accusation. When nothing came, she slowly cracked open an eye and saw Raven standing in front of her with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you ok?" Raven asks in her typical monotone.

Jinx couldn't help but blink in surprise as she let herself be helped up by the Titan; she had expected Raven to start attacking her upon sight but instead she was helping her up? At first she thought she landed in some weird alternate universe but her eyes widened as she realized that Raven didn't recognize her. _'HA! Take that, Raz!'_ she mentally cheered to herself.

"Uh...I'm fine," she answers hesitantly, hoping her voice wouldn't give her away.

Raven nodded after seeing the girl was ok. Turning her attention back to the streets around her, she scowls as she realized her target had long vanished. "Did you see a green dog pass by here?" she asks.

The question shocked Jinx as she could hear a slight trace annoyance coming from the girl. She always thought of her as a 'frigid bitch' given their fights but to actually see emotion from Raven was...weird. "Wait...did she say green dog?" Her face soon matched Raven's scowl as her thoughts jumped back to the canine that started the whole mess. "If you're after it, get it line. No one kisses me for free and gets away with it."

"You don't mean..." Raven trailed off as the girl gives her a nod, wiping some remaining drool from her face. "He did you too," she states dryly.

"Yeah, he...what did you say? 'Too?'" Forgetting her animosity for the girl, she immediately grabbed clasped Raven's hand between her own, as her eyes gleamed with the same righteous fury. "What that dog did is an affront to all girls everywhere! It must be punished!"

Raven blinked in surprise at the sudden turnaround in the girl's personality. Earlier she seemed almost afraid of her but now she could swear she saw righteous indignation in her eyes. She also caught a few glimpses of what the girl wanted to do to Beastboy through their physical contact and felt 'Red' grinning with delight.

"_(A girl after my own heart,)"_ the red-cloaked aspect comments from the recesses of her mind.

"Not that I don't appreciate your enthusiasm, but how exactly are we going to catch him?" Raven asks as she detached herself from the girl, hoping to stop another stream of images from arousing _that_ particular aspect of her persona.

Jinx froze as she realized that she really didn't have a plan other than blasting the green dog...and she couldn't do that in front of Raven without revealing herself. "Umm...no idea?" she answered with an embarrassed tone. "But I _have_ to get even! It interrupted my date!" she huffs.

Raven gave an annoyed sigh at the girl's reason. _'It just had to be about a boy,'_ she deadpanned to herself. "I'll probably regret this but I suppose you can come."

Before Jinx could react, a dark disc of energy formed beneath her and lifted her up into the air. "Err...where are we going?"

"If you're going to help, we might as well fill you in on a plan."

"...'We'...?"

T-T-T

Raziel ran as fast as he could as he tried to find either of the two girls; the last thing he needed was for them to meet. _'At least now I know what that feeling of dread was,'_ he thought mirthlessly as an image of carnage came to mind. The last time the two had met wasn't under the most pleasant of circumstances and as Jinx really hadn't been causing any mischief of late, she didn't really deserve any flak from the Titans. As he rounded a corner, he slammed into a person which caused the two of them to crash in a heap.

"Eeek! Someone's hands are on my grebnacs!"

Raziel reflexively pushed himself off the obviously female person, a faint blush on his cheeks upon realizing what his hands were holding. "Starfire?"

"Shhhhh!"

Looking at who shushed him, his eyes widened as he saw Cyborg crouching behind a trash can, trying vainly to fit his huge physique.

"Yeah, we're hunting BB and Jen here's been nice enough to help."

Looking around, he noticed that Robin and Raven were also there, the two of them glaring at him which caused him to wonder what that was about. As he stated to get up, Raziel finally noticed the odd thing about Cyborg's statement. "Wait...Jen?" As Cyborg pointed his thumb behind him, Raziel could see a small tuft of black hair peeking from behind the metallic Titan. He nearly choked when he saw streaks of pink in her hair and a familiar white belly tee. She gave him a weak wave and looked like she was ready to piss in the proverbial pants.

"Raziel, Jen. Jen, Raziel," Raven deadpans as she introduced the girl, now wondering why Raziel seemed to be fixated on the civilian.

Nodding dumbly at the girl, he could see her mouthing something as she waved almost mechanically, sweat trailing down her face as she seemed to be trying not to panic.

'_Get me out of here!'_ Jinx thought frantically as she waved at Raziel. It was bad enough when she bumped into the Ice Queen but when she dragged her to meet the rest of the team it was like she had been sent to hell. She could see Raven glancing at her every so often which caused her even more worry. She was now glad she stole...errr...borrowed those colored contacts the day before; they were probably the only thing keeping boy blunder from recognizing her.

"So...Jen?" Raziel whispers as he plopped down beside the disguised H.I.V.E girl, half curious and half amused, every so often glancing around to make sure no one overheard their conversation.

Jinx simply scowled at him as she could feel him smirking beneath his scarf. The worst part was she couldn't really react as it would tip off the other Titans so she silently stewed in her predicament. Thankfully, bird boy shook her out of her broodings with a quiet signal.

"He's here."

Everyone peeked from their hiding place and saw a green dog running down the street and down a dark alley. Robin motioned for them to follow him, his footsteps barely making a sound as they crept up against their prey.

"Remember, we don't want to hurt him."

"Speak for yourself," came twin voices of annoyance.

Raziel stared at the two girls who were now eyeing each other quizzically. Raven seemed almost amused while Jinx seemed to be in shock. _'At least they aren't at each other's throats,'_ he thought as he let out a sigh of relief. The calm didn't last long as a long prehensile tongue shot out of the darkness and licked the two girls.

"EWWW!" "GWAH!"

Before anyone could react, Jinx pushed through the Titans and tried to bum-rush the green canine. "That's IT! You're dead meat!" she yells as she leapt at the dog. To her utter shock, the dog dove out of her way and somehow flowed through the sewer grate. She couldn't help but blink in surprise as she was sure normal dogs couldn't do that.

"I'm going out on a limb and say that isn't Beastboy," Raven comments sarcastically as she wiped the drool off her face.

"Well, it's not like we know any other green dogs," Raziel comments out loud as he joined Jinx beside the grate, giving it a tentative poke to be sure he wasn't imagining things.

"But if that wasn't Beastboy then..."

Although Jinx looked like she was peering down the hole, she couldn't help but listen in on the Titans as they mentioned something about luring the dog back to find their green friend. They started discussing finding some bait for their trap when she suddenly felt several eyes staring at her. Turning around, she saw the Titans glancing between her and Raven with a gleam in their eyes. "What?"

T-T-T

"Tell me again why I agreed to do this?"

"Because you insisted on helping 'on behalf of girls everywhere'," Raven deadpans as she scanned the area for any sign of their target. "Here, doggy, doggy," she calls out without much enthusiasm, half-hoping the dog wouldn't show up. Unfortunately for her, it did.

'Jen' stared at the dog as it eyed them warily, sighing to herself as she realized that she had no choice but to play along as well. "Let me show you how it's done," she sighs dejectedly.

Raven blinked as Jen suddenly put on a smile that would have put Starfire to shame and started waving at the dog.

"DOGGY!!" she calls out with enough sugary sweetness to give anyone tooth decay.

Sure enough, the dog had hearts in its eyes as it saw the two visions of loveliness just waiting for him to shower them with affection. It dashes at the girls faster than any normal dog could move. As it leapt at the two, it suddenly noticed the change in the girls' demeanor, the smile being replaced with a grin that promised a lot of pain. Its momentum was too much for it to stop or change directions as it suddenly found itself slamming into a glass container. Before it could morph out, the lid was shut tight and it was soon surrounded by the humans it had been evading earlier.

"Sorry, dawg. When Cy builds it, nobody's breaking it!" he taunts proudly. The dog nonetheless tried to escape to no avail as the trap lived up to its creator's expectations. Cyborg grinned in triumph as the dog settled down in an eerily calm manner, its behavior going unnoticed by the people that surrounded it.

"So...what do we do with it now?" Raziel asks as he knelt down beside the dog, raising an eyebrow as the dog eyed him with an eerily intelligent gaze.

"We could run a chemical analysis on its fur; see where it's been," says Robin as he tossed in his two cents.

"Or we could just neuter it and be done with it," 'Jen' comments out loud, her eyes taking on an evil gleam as she started playing with a pair of walnuts in her hands. While Raven and Starfire were wondering where she had gotten a hold of the nuts, the boys shuddered as she crushed the walnuts in her hands, reflexively backing away from the now cackling girl. "I'm still in a bad mood from earlier."

"Now, now. I'm sure we can come to some other, less painful, arrangement," a voice interjects.

The Titans (and their temporary ally) whirled around as they searched for the source of the voice but found none. It was then they heard someone cough softly.

Ahem "Down here."

"YOU CAN TALK?!" came several loud yells as Robin, Starfire and Cyborg realized it was the canine doing the talking.

"Yes, and I believe that I can help you retrieve this 'Beastboy' of yours from my odious former owner." As the dog explained all that had happened up to the point he/it bumped into Beastboy, Raven finally couldn't wait as she interrupted the story.

"If you could talk all this time, why didn't you say anything to begin with?"

"I was having too much fun," came the sheepish reply.

Raven eyed the dog briefly, raising a single eyebrow before turning her gaze back to 'Jen.' "I agree. Let's just neuter him."

"Fine with me." Jinx couldn't help but grin at the blue-cloaked girl even as Starfire tried to placate the two of them. If things were different, they probably could have been friends, good friends even. Too bad they were on opposite sides of the playing field. For now, at least, she welcomed the girl's sarcastic humor.

"But we must rescue friend Beastboy!" Starfire pleaded as she launched her patented puppy-eyed stare™.

Granted she really wanted to do something to the dog, even Jinx felt her resolve crumble against the tearful Tamaranian. Letting out a sigh of resignation, she looks at the green dog with a disdainful frown. "You got off lucky," she grumbles.

The dog sighed with relief as it narrowly avoided a fate worse than death. It looks at Robin and Cyborg as it starts to tell them where they would be able to find its former owner.

Seeing as that the Titans were now making rescue plans for their friend, Jinx decides to leave while the going was good; this was the longest string of good luck she'd had in a while and she didn't want to push it. As she started to walk away, she stops as she heard her name called out.

"Friend Jen!"

As soon as she turned around, Jinx was bowled over by Starfire as she wrapped her up in an impressive hug.

"Thank you for helping us catch the fake Beastboy!" the Tamaranian responds cheerfully.

"Starfire...air?" Raven interjects dryly. The girl immediately let go of her victi...friend and sheepishly apologized to the nearly asphyxiated teen.

"No problem," Jinx manages to wheeze as she tried to catch her breath. Raziel knelt down beside her and gave her a sympathetic pat on the back as if to say 'I know what you're going through.' She gave him a weak smile before waving him off. "Thanks. Now get on out of here before I lose my temper around that dog."

"Ok, Titans. We've plotted the location of the ship. Let's go!" Robin orders.

Jinx let out a sigh of relief as the Titans were finally leaving. That had been the most nerve wracking experience ever, having to face the entire group alone...not that she was scared, of course. Still, that dog had ruined a particularly good day and literally left a bad taste in her mouth. Just as she was about to leave herself, an idea came to mind that brought a grin to her face; maybe there was a way to turn this day around. "Hey, Raz."

Hearing his name, Raziel turned to face the girl but froze as Jinx pulled down his scarf and kissed him on the lips. It was a quick peck but he still felt his face flush from the brief contact.

"_Now_ I feel better," Jinx states as she gave him a playful grin, enjoying the expressions on all of the Titans' faces; Robin was just shocked, Starfire seemed puzzled, Cyborg was grinning, and Raven was just... Jinx had to blink as she thought she saw a scowl on the girl's face but decided it was probably her imagination. "It's been real," she calls out as she skipped merrily on her way. Now all she had to worry about was stealing something of value so Headmistress wouldn't punish her.

Raziel stared at Jinx's retreating figure; he was in such a stupor that he hardly noticed the yank on his arm as he was dragged towards the direction where Beastboy was supposedly being held.

"Come on, Cassanova. I think Beastboy needs rescuing now," Raven deadpans, unaware that she had gripped Raziel's hand just a tad tighter than usual. Levitating the two of them, she failed to notice Starfire's lingering gaze on her.

- To be continued -

And finally another chapter in the Souls Entwined universe is complete! Next chapter is already in the works.

Omake 1:

As Raziel had approached Raven's room, he heard the two females talking well before he was within their own hearing range. _'I guess she's busy,'_ he says to himself as he could make out something about meditation. While she was the only person he could really ask about any 'hunches' or 'feelings' of dread, he 'respected her privacy' (which was his own way of saying he valued his life) so he decided to come back later. At least that's what he planned on doing until he heard a groan come from inside the room.

"Starfire, I don't think that goes in there."

grunt "Perhaps if we push harder?"

"I'm not so sure. These things have to be done gently. Don't force it in."

"I am sorry, friend Raven. I have never really done this before. Perhaps some oil will make it slide in easier?" the girl offered.

THUD

Hearing the noise, Raven rushed out of her room and saw twin trails of blood on the wall. She raised an eyebrow at the scene but decided she didn't really want to know what was going on. Turning back to Starfire, she resumed her repair work of the scrying device that the girl had disassembled by accident.

Rushing out of the tower, Raziel covered his nose with his scarf as he tried to stem the blood loss. _'Right...definitely staying out of the tower today,'_ he thinks to himself.

Omake 2:

Robin ran like his life depended on it. While Soto was a difficult, if somewhat slow, opponent, nothing could have prepared him for this. His opponent this time was someone untouchable and beyond his skills. The worst part was he knew he was outclassed and being inside the tower didn't give much room for maneuverability. As he rounded a corner, he ran into Raven which caused the two to crash in a heap. "Please! You have to hide me!"

"An apology would be nice," Raven comments dryly as she disentangled herself from the boy wonder. "Hide you from what?"

"Robin? Are you here?" Starfire calls from down the hall. "I wish to know why Jen said the lip contact made her feel better."

Raven raised an eyebrow as she looked at the cowering boy. Who would've thought he had a fear of intimacy. She was about to give a snarky remark but stopped when she heard Starfire's next statement.

"Friend Raziel. Perhaps you can help me determine why the lip contact made Jen feel better?"

"..."

Elsewhere, Beastboy had the sneaking suspicion that he was missing out on some primetime gossip material.


	18. Jealousy Part 2

**Souls Entwined**

Disclaimer: The Souls Entwined story is my own concept. All characters are owned by their respective creators.

© 2007

**Jealousy Pt. 2**

"What are you doing?" Raven asks, somewhat surprised that she found her voice wavering as Raziel slowly approached her.

"I think you know what," he answers, his voice smooth like silk and full of confidence that she never felt from him before.

She tries to get away but found herself backed into a corner. _'When did I get in my room?'_ she manages to think as Raziel placed both hands on the wall behind her, trapping her between his arms. She could have easily slipped underneath them but found that her body refused to listen to her wishes. Or was it that her body was responding to her wishes? "S...stop it. I want you out of my room," she manages to stutter, her words lacking the normal conviction they would have.

"Do you really mean that?"

Raven felt a shiver go through her body as Raziel cupped her face with one hand, his fingers trailing a path down her cheek and across her collarbone. Her eyes widened with fear as it started to trace a path lower but stopped just as suddenly. His hand then moved down to her waist, idly caressing her side. She took in a quick breath as his touch felt like electricity across her body, the emotional walls she had put up years ago falling against her body's reactions.

As Raziel started to lean towards her, her breathing grew ragged as she felt her heartbeat racing with each passing moment. With his free hand, he lowered the scarf that normally covered his face and gave her his trademark smirk; the smile reminding her of a predator that had caught its prey.

"Please...don't..." she whispers, the last vestiges of her control slowly slipping as the boy leaned in closer. His face was mere inches from her own; her mouth suddenly feeling dry as she felt her body leaning forward ever so slightly.

THUD

Raven's eyes shot wide open as she fell out of her bed with a loud splat. Glancing at the clock on the wall and noticing the ungodly hour, she brought her hand up to her face and started pinching the bridge of her nose as she felt the beginnings of a migraine. _'What the hell was that?!'_ she thought angrily as the vivid dream/nightmare refused to go away. It was the weirdest thing she had ever dreamt before. She usually couldn't remember most of her dreams and the ones that she did had the unpleasant presence of her father clawing at her mind; the rather _unique_ dream she had now was both welcome and unsettling. Her hand idly went to her lips before she knew what she was doing, a full flush coming to her face when she realized she did. Thankfully her communicator let out a series of beeps which took her mind off the 'dream'; she shuddered to even mention the word.

" Titans! We've got a robbery at Talier Jewelries. I'm going ahead so follow my signal. " The signal immediately cut off even before she could reply, Robin's image immediately being replaced by a GPS map of where he was.

'_Doesn't he ever sleep?'_ she grumbled. After putting on her costume she headed to the garage where Cyborg and Raziel were waiting, the heat rising to her face upon seeing the latter. Purposedly brushing past the pale teen, she immediately took shotgun as she glared at them with a raised eyebrow. "Well?" she deadpans.

The two boys looked at each other with confused expressions, not really sure why Raven seemed on edge but decided to play it safe and not antagonize the girl; warily eyeing her as they drove off to chase whoever was stupid enough to burglarize in Jump City

T-T-T

"Mmmph fnnn!" Robin retorted; or at least tried to as his muscles were currently paralyzed by the spider-headed thief's venom.

"He says he is fine," Starfire translated for him helpfully.

"MMm dnnn nddd mm mmrnrmrm!"

"He says he doesn't need a trans..."

"We get the picture, Star," Raven interjected as she held up a hand to silence the girl. "We'll handle eight-eyes. _You_ are heading back to the tower."

"Raven's right, Rob. My scanners show that whatever it is he hit you with isn't toxic but it'll take a while to wear off. So until then..." Cyborg smirked as Robin attempted to retort but his decision was final. "Star, can you take Rob back to the Tower and make _sure_ he doesn't try to follow?"

Raven watched the Tamaranian give her typical cheerful nod as she easily picked up the frozen teen. Her feelings for the boy wonder were really quite obvious to even the most casual observer. As the girl was about to fly off, she heard Cyborg start to formulate a plan to catch the arachnid...human...whatever he was.

"Now, we need to split up..."

Raven saw Cyborg grinning at her which brought a scowl to her face. The dream she had was still too fresh in her mind and she wasn't quite willing to be paired with Raziel at the moment. "Starfire, I think you should take Raziel with you," she interjects. All eyes suddenly fell on her which she promptly ignored. "You know how Robin gets when he's being stubborn. Two sets of eyes watching him should keep him out of trouble."

Starfire had a pensive look on her as she tried to read the pale goth's face (which was very hard to begin with). "I am not sure..."

"Don't worry about it," Raven answers, trying to placate the girl. "Three of us should be more than enough to catch him...it...whatever. With a spider for a head, it's not as if he's going to be hard to find." She saw the internal debate Starfire seemed to be having with herself but eventually the girl nodded in acquiesce. Raziel seemed to be a bit confused by it all but simply shrugged and waved to his teammates as he followed after the Tamaranian. Raven found herself waving back before she realized it, immediately yanking down the offending arm before anyone noticed. _'Chalk up another thing I need to think about,'_ she sighs to herself before levitating off after Cyborg and Beastboy.

Unbenownst to her, Raziel _did_ see her wave which made him blink in curiosity. _'Since when did Raven care about pleasantries?'_ he wondered. He didn't really get to contemplate it further as Starfire tapped him on the shoulder.

"Umm, do you wish to 'ride shotgun'?" she asks innocently.

T-T-T

"I swear, it's like the people who try to stir up trouble get weirder and weirder," Raziel grumbled as he, against his wishes, was carried by Starfire in her left arm, the boy wonder being carried in her right. It was, unfortunately, the fastest way to get back to the tower.

"I suppose it is a balance of sorts," Starfire answered in a contemplative tone. "There was a belief among my people that there should always be a balance. We are superheroes. It would make sense that we would attract supervillains."

Raziel blinked at the surprising logic behind the girl's reasoning. "That's...actually depressing to think about," he noted dryly, causing the girl to blush in embarrassment. "Oh, don't be modest," he adds with a smirk. "It's actually quite endearing to hear from you instead of Raven." He could see Robin fume silently from being unable to add to the conversation due to his paralysis but he didn't really care what the boy thought.

"We have arrived!" Starfire says as she landed on the Tower's rooftop.

Nodding his thanks at the lift, Raziel follows the girl as she carries their frozen companion to the living room. He noticed Robin twitch slightly just as the twin doors to the room opened as he was still being carried by the girl.

"I will return in a moment, Robin," Starfire says as she props him up against a wall, much to his consternation.

If he could nod, he would. From the corner of his eye, he could see the mirth on Raziel's face but decided to hold his piece for now...at least until Starfire was out of the room. As the girl left the room, he leveled his best rendition of 'The Glare'™ at the pale boy. "Not a word," he growls, which came out as "Nrrrgh rrr mmrrrgh!"

"I don't really want to know what you two do when no one else is around anyway," Raziel counters nonchalantly. He was rewarded when Robin started blushing despite the effects of the paralysis poison; now he understood why Raven talked like she didn't care, it was simply that much more amusing to see everyone's reactions.

"I have found it!" Starfire's voice calls out as she flew in from who knew where, a faded book in her arms. Leafing through the tome, she nodded to herself as she sped-read through several chapters before slamming the book shut. As soon as that was done, her eyes took on a gleam that made Raziel shiver unconsciously. "Come, Robin. This will only take a moment."

T-T-T

In a part of Japan called Nerima:

"Oh my, Doctor. I don't think her neck is supposed to bend that way."

"Hahahaha! What brings you to the theater? What lovely weather we're having, eh?" the 'good' doctor chuckled nervously as he continued to turn his patient into a human pretzel.

"Make the hurt stop!!" cried the poor redhead.

T-T-T

"I...I think I can move now, Starfire," Robin says, his face flushing as he felt circulation come back to his extremities. The girl gently lays him on his feet which didn't help to suppress the embarrassment he felt at being...manhandled in such a way.

"It is, how do you say, no predicament. There is nothing Tamaranian acupressure cannot solve!"

Raziel didn't know whether he was impressed or frightened of Starfire right now. Thinking back to Robin's expression as Starfire worked her 'charm', he settled for amused. _'And here I thought I'd be doing more babysitting,'_ he thinks to himself. The sound of the communicator shakes him out of the mood he was in. Activating the viewscreen, he was surprised to see Cyborg's frantic face on the screen.

" Forget what Raven said, Raz! Get your butt down here now!" From the edge of the screen, a pair of jaws started snapping at Cyborg which caused the metallic Titan to growl at his attacker before throwing a metal fist at it. " No one snacks on Cy! "

"We're on our way," Robin growls.

" No one is going anywhere, " a voice interrupts.

The three Titans whirl around to see Cyborg's face replaced with that of an unknown masked man filling the picture.

"And you are…?" Raziel asked, causing the man to glare at him. He simply ignored it as usual, settling for a disinterested look while eyeing him lazily. "Take a number. We're kind of busy."

" The _name_ is Killer Moth. You'd do well to remember it, _boy_, " the man growls. " Your friends already made acquaintances with a few of my pets. I'd hate for them to have to meet the whole family, " Killer Moth retorts angrily as several eyes started glowing behind him.

Raziel had to pause at that, reevaluating his opinion of the armored man from 'gnat' to 'worth noticing'. He would never admit that he was actually worried, of course.

"What do you want?" Robin asks as he grit his teeth, fighting to keep his temper in check as yet another villain managed to not only attack the city en masse but to hack into their communications system.

The villain had to smirk at capitulation the Titans' leader was showing. " Good to see someone here has brains, " he sneers, glancing briefly at Raziel. " My demands are simple, really. The city becomes mine, the Teen Titans surrender, and... "

"And?" Raziel asks, sensing the hesitation coming from Killer Moth. It looked like he was struggling with himself but from the sudden drooping of the shoulders it looked like Killer Moth lost the internal battle.

" Robin, you will...take this lovely young lady to her junior prom. " A secondary picture reveals itself beside Killer Moths to reveal a blonde teenage girl.

Raziel raised an eyebrow at the odd demand. Looking at the girl, she wasn't bad looking really and was easy on the eyes...not his type but easy on the eyes nonetheless. His opinion quickly changed the minute the girl opened her mouth.

" Hi, Robbie-poo! "

"Could you repeat that?" Robin asks, his brow furrowing as he hoped he heard wrong.

"Robin? Who is this girl and why does she call you 'poo'?" Starfire asks, her female senses tingling upon hearing the tone in the girl's voice.

" Her _name_ is Kitten, " Killer Moth answers while glaring at the orange-skinned girl. " And you will TAKE her to PROM, Robin! "

Seeing Starfire's eyes narrow and Robin's eyes widen was too much as Raziel started chuckling. He was barely able to hold back his laughter as Starfire immediately accepted the 'prom' challenge on Robin's behalf.

"It's not a challenge, Star," Robin clarified as he felt like a hundred years old. "It's a...a...date." Starfire began to protest almost immediately but he pulled on her, dragging her outside the room as he turned to Killer Moth. "Give us a few moments."

As the two Titans left the room, Raziel guffawed loudly which caused the girl to finally notice his presence.

" What do you THINK you're laughing about? " Kitten growls. _'How dare this...this...boy laugh at me! Who does he think he is?'_ she thought angrily. When he continued to laugh, she felt her blood boil at being ignored by some mere nobody. "HEY! Look at me when I'm talking at you!"

Raziel turned around to face the girl, wiping the tears from his eyes as he struggled to stop the giggles. Seeing the girl's face just caused him to snort in amusement as he pictured Robin trying to pin a corsage on her. He failed to notice the girl had actually stopped yelling and appeared contemplative even. As the doors to the room hiss open, he saw Robin come in with a dejected look on his face. Forcing the laughter down, he silently thanked Raven for the scarf as it hid most of his facial expressions; Robin would never forgive him if he saw the grin madly at the boy wonder's predicament.

Robin, on the other hand, looked like he had swallowed something disgusting as he glared at Killer Moth, his lips pursed trying to say the words he really didn't want to say. "I'll do what you want. I'll take her to...prom."

" Don't tell me. _Ask_ her, " Killer Moth retorts.

"Oh, for..."

"DO IT OR...!" Killer Moth doesn't get to finish his sentence as his daughter interrupts him.

" Hold on. I've changed my mind, " Kitten interjects, her arms crossing across her chest as a certain gleam appeared in her eyes. " I want _both _of them to ask me. "

Now it was Raziel's turn to freeze as the statement the girl made began to sink in. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt a migraine coming on. "Excuse me, what did you just say?" Even Killer Moth looked shocked and he was behind a mask as he eyed the girl warily.

" Kitten, did you just... "

" I'm _waiting_, " the girl droned in a sing-song voice, a hint of malice just beneath the surface.

Robin glared at Raziel like he wanted to kill him, the pale teen glaring back with a 'don't blame me' look. As Killer Moth gave a cough, they let out twin sighs of defeat as the gravity of the situation began to sink in once again.

"Kitten, will you..."

"...go to the prom with us?"

T-T-T

"What the heck are they doing? I thought Rob said he was 'working on it,'" Cyborg growled as he shot down a small group of mutant moths.

Raven grimaced as she used her powers to divert a falling support cable from landing on her teammates. It was true that Robin had said he was working on something but whatever it was, he had better do it soon. Even her powers couldn't cover a wide enough area to stop the entire swarm. As she batted away a bug that was headed for Beastboy, the moths suddenly did an about-face and flew off into the distance. She raised an eyebrow at the change of events but didn't look a gift horse in the mouth. "That was anti-climactic," she says out loud. The beeping of her communicator, however, shook her out of her musings as the last of the insects disappeared over the horizon. Looking at the device, she saw Raziel's face which was a mask of consternation.

" Are you all right? " he asks

"Nevermind that," Raven replies with a scowl as Cyborg and Beastboy took positions behind her. "Was this your doing?" Raziel's face was immediately replaced by Robin who had the same look, just a bit more muted.

" We bought you some time, " the boy wonder answers. " Killer Moth is the one you're looking for. Find him and take him down. _Hard._ "

"Oookay. Someone's a tad peeved," the pale girl deadpans.

" I suggest looking into who _this_ person is, " Raziel's voice adds as the picture of a blonde girl appears on the communicator.

"Whoa. Who's the babe?" Beastboy comments which would have earned him a glare from Raziel and Robin had they been on the screen.

Twitch For some reason, Raven felt herself hating the blonde almost immediately.

" Name's Kitten. And I'd keep away from her, if I were you, Beastboy. Nothing like her namesake, " Raziel supplied as Starfire could be heard ranting in the background. " She has some relationship to our Killer Moth which means... "

"Find out about her, we find out about Killer Moth," Cyborg completes.

" Right. I'm sending Starfire over to help with the search. The more ground you can cover, the faster we can put this freak behind bars. "

Raven suddenly had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach as she saw Raziel frown in the communicator. "Wait a minute...what about Raziel? And you?" she adds almost as an afterthough. "Aren't you joining us?" In the screen, she saw Robin and Raziel look at each other with a mixture of disgust and resignation before turning to face her.

"We have a date."

Twitch "Not with each other, I hope?" she answers snarkily. The two boys began sputtering denials which brought a tiny smirk to her face but in truth she was starting to feel anger just bubbling beneath the surface. "Fine. I don't really want to know," she huffs while rolling her eyes. "As long as you keep those bugs off our back." Slamming her communicator shut, she turns to her companions who flinched at the sudden vehemence in her voice despite her even voice. "Well? Let's get started."

Unbeknownst to any of them, a tiny piece of Raven's shadow had detached itself and started slinking away into the night.

T-T-T

Raziel had to flinch as Raven closed her communicator with a loud snap; she was acting just a tad more emotional than he had ever seen her. _'Guess Kitten can do that to anyone,'_ he mused, shuddering at having been roped into this. "So," he asks, turning to the boy wonder. "Where exactly can I get a tux?"

T-T-T

Arriving at the prom, Raziel was sufficiently impressed with the effort that went into the event. It wasn't every day that a cruise ship was charted for a simple high school prom; but then again, he didn't really have any memories of his own high school prom, much less his high school so he gave a nonchalant shrug and scanned the area for their shudder date. "I don't suppose we can hope and pray she doesn't show up?" he asks out loud.

"Not a chance," Robin grumbles. As someone taps his back, he grit his teeth in preparation for the worst night of his life but instead was greeted by the exact opposite of what he was expecting. "Buwah...wha...durrr..."

Raziel smirked as he watched Robin fumble with his words; at least it looked like one of them would be enjoying the night. He suddenly felt a chill run down his spine as a god-awful shocking-pink limo drove up him. _'Oh gods, no...'_ he groaned to himself. It was bad enough that the girl's personality overrode whatever eye candy she could provide but did she have to come in the most evil of all colors? As the door opened, he felt his eyes start to burn as the same hideous color blazed forth from its occupant.

"Oh, Robbie-poo! Razzie-poo! I'm so flattered that TWO MEMBERS OF THE TEEN TITANS would be so eager to TAKE ME to the prom!" Kitten crowed out loud, purposedley ignoring the gnashing of teeth from the aforementioned boys. As she started pawing the two, her eyes narrowed as she hissed at them. "One of you better compliment me on my dress, or else."

Robin caved at the threat, grunting out a noncommittal comment which caused the girl to boast even louder.

"Now both of you take my arms and escort me in. And would it kill you two to smile?"

Having reached his patience' end, Raziel gave an evil smile at the blonde, unconsciously releasing a fair amount of killer intent which caused everyone around him to shiver in fear.

Kitten felt her legs turn to jelly as she bore the full brunt of Raziel's gaze. For the first time in her life, she felt fear. The boy gave off such a primal feeling that she never got from Fang. _'Now I _know_ it was a good idea to take this...animal with me. Even if Fang doesn't get jealous, he'll more than make up for it,'_ she thought with a smile of desire

T-T-T

CRASH

"Let's go," Raven deadpans as she entered the now not-so-hidden entrance to the underground lair.

Cyborg and Beastboy looked at her retreating figure and swallowed nervously. For some odd reason, the girl had suddenly growled like she was angry just before literally ripping the door off its hinges.

"She seems mad about something," Beastboy offered helpfully.

"Ya' think, Mr. obvious?!" Cyborg hissed before following after the defacto leader of their little group.

T-T-T

Robin and Raziel sat across from Kitten, both of them wishing they were somewhere else as they could feel her eyes running over them like pieces of meat.

"One of you better ask me to dance," Kitten whispers angrily as her face changed from adoring to furious in the span of a second. "It's either that or bye-bye Jump City!" Her expression turned contemplative before looking at the two hungrily. "We could always skip to the kissing part."

Robin glanced at Raziel and motioned for him to take the girl. Raziel quietly reminded him who was it that was the ward of a certain billionaire (and thus, had all the formal training needed) and thus won the argument. It was a moot point as Kitten had decided for them and pulled Robin to the dance floor.

Thankful for the temporary reprieve, Raziel looked around at his surroundings and found himself feeling slightly melancholic; his now official first memory of a prom would be of Kitten. He saw Starfire glaring from the punch bowl, the fruity drink bubbling from being in such close proximity to the girl. _'Scary,'_ he thought to himself as the girl's killing intent could be felt even from where he was seated. He was so enthralled by the girl's potential that he almost didn't hear his name called...unfortunately he did.

"Oh, Razzie-poo, I'd be honored to dance with you too," Kitten crowed, dragging the reluctant teen to the center of the boat and latching on to him like a parasite. "From now on, this will be _our_ song, Razzie-poo. Just like the last one was mine and Robie-poo's!"

Flinching at the girl's show of false affection, he sneaks out his communicator while the girl was preoccupied with rubbing against him. "Can someone please tell me I can kill her now?" For a moment, all he got was static but soon it was replaced with Raven's familiar voice.

" A little busy here, " came the monotone reply before it was cut off by the sound of Killer Moth snarling. " Stand still and die! " the man roared before the signal was cut.

Raziel's eyes widened as he realized where Raven and the others were, smirking to himself as he knew it would be over soon. Turning to the lovestruck girl, he frowned as her lips were pursed and her eyes closed.

"Kiss me," Kitten purred as she leaned forward only to be stopped by a finger on her lips.

"Not a chance, little _girl_," Raziel growled as he finally released the pent up frustration he had been feeling, striking the girl with a massive wave of killing intent and freezing her on the spot. "Killer Moth's being taken down as we speak. Consider yourself dumped." That statement, however, was enough to shake the girl out of her fear-induced stupor.

"Nobody dumps Kitten!" the girl howled as she ripped off her corsage, the flower's petals falling away to reveal a cylindrical device. "Daddy's not calling the shots tonight, _Razzie-poo._ I am! And since you don't want to kiss me, you can kiss your city goodbye!"

The two boys froze in shock, unable to stop her thumb from pressing on a switch as one thought rushed through their heads.

"Daddy?!?"

Click

T-T-T

"Oooof!"

Raven had to groan as Cyborg and Beastboy were thrown on top of her by Killer Moth. Struggling to push off the to Titans, her eyes suddenly light up with power as she felt an almost insane desire to kick someone's ass. Using that same power to levitate the two from her body, she turns her gaze to the badly named villain with murder in her eyes. "You've just made me angry," she deadpans as she _was_ feeling unusually angry for some odd reason. "You're not going to like me when I'm angry." Her powers suddenly lash out, wrapping themselves around several large mainframes and levitating them into the air. "Now, you are going to tell me where's the kill-switch for your..." Her threat stops as an alarm suddenly started sounding and the doors of the cages started opening. It was Cyborg who voiced their collective thoughts at their situation as the insects started pouring out.

"Aw, snap!"

T-T-T

Realizing what the device was, Raziel reached up to grab the remote but a long arachnid leg slammed into him, knocking him into the buffet table.

Seeing his teammate get tossed aside like yesterday's lunch, Robin rips off the tuxedo and leaps at Kitten. Before he could even grapple her to the floor the same set of legs kicked him into the air.

"Keep your stinkin' paws off my girl!"

"Fang?" Kitten reaches for her ex-ex-boyfriend but the arachnid-hybrid was suddenly blasted away by a bright green bolt of energy.

"You will keep your legs off my boy!"

T-T-T

Groaning as he shook the cobwebs from his head, Raziel opened his eyes to see the four teens already duking it out, Starfire being the most vicious of them as she screamed something about not fighting over someone. As he tried to get back on his feet, a wave of vertigo hit him which caused him to stumble slightly.

'_Fang hits harder than I thought.'_ Unfortunately that moment of weakness was enough distraction as he failed to notice a stray blast venom headed his way. Time seemed to move in slow motion as he saw the blast head towards him. Bracing himself for the inevitable paralysis, he was surprised to see it slam into a shield of black energy. The shield itself appeared so briefly that at first he thought he was imagining things but that energy signature was too familiar to be anyone else's. Extending his senses, he blinked in surprise as he failed to find any trace of Raven in the area. It was then that Fang landed with a resounding crash in front of him.

Said villain was shaking the cobwebs (pun intended) from his head when he saw who was in front of him. _'It's that bastard!_' he grows as all eight eyes locked on Raziel, the guy who was pawing his girl. Lunging at the teen with his arachnid legs, he was surprised that the guy managed to dodge his attacks with an unnatural grace but grinned (or at least as much as an arachnid could) as one of his legs managed to nick an arm, fresh blood flowing from the tear in the jacket.

Seeing the attack coming towards him, Raziel felt his body move on auto pilot to dodge the incoming appendages. However, since he wasn't conscious about it one of the attacks did get through, the stinging sensation of the wound bringing all his senses on alert felt a snarl coming to his lips. Looking at the now ruined sleeve, he turns his gaze to Fang as his eyes suddenly blazed with unearthly light, the full force of his power focusing on his right arm. "This was a _rental!_" he roared just before he slammed a fist into the arachnid's head, incidentally knocking the boy into his girlfriend with a spectacular crash. "That was the best part of the night," he grins as the two teenagers collapsed bonelessly on the floor, eyes rolled in the back of their head.

"Likewise," Robin added as he the control device was crunched underneath his boots.

T-T-T

It was several minutes before the JPD arrived on the scene to take away the pair, Kitten screaming obscenities at Raziel and Robin as she was locked in the paddy wagon. When it finally drove off, Raziel let out a tired sigh which didn't go unnoticed by Raven.

"What? Miss your girlfriend already?" she asks sarcastically. Her jibe was rewarded by a glare which she matched.

"I'd have to have liked her to actually miss her presence," he huffs. "For your information, I was actually bemoaning what an awful night this has been. My first and only 'prom' memory and it's forever scarred by...shudder...her," Raziel groans. "And to top it all off, I'm going to have to pay for this tuxedo..." he grumbles. As the MC announced the King and Queen of the prom, he levels a glare at the 'King' for what it was worth, seeing as he was too occupied by his 'Queen.' "At least one of us got something out of this."

As Raven opened her mouth to release a typical barb, the same shadow that had detached itself from her earlier merged back with her main shadow, its movement having gone unnoticed by either of the two teens. All of a sudden, she lost the urge to continue the verbal tirade as a thought came to mind. She blinked in confusion and wondered where _that_ had come from...then she remembered her dream. Looking at Raziel, she felt her cheeks flush once more and sighed as she decided she was crazy for doing what she was about to do. "Come on," she drones.

"What?" Raziel manages to blurt as Raven grabbed his hand and placed in on her waist. It was his turn to blink in confusion as the girl took off her hood. _'She _never _takes off her hood in public!'_

"Don't think too much into it," she deadpans. "I don't know why you put so much importance on this _prom,_" Raven adds, nearly growling the last word. "I've never had one and look how I turned out." She saw Raziel raise an eyerbrow at that but silenced him with a glare. "You know what I mean," she hotly before the boy could comment. "I'm feeling generous today so take advantage of it."

Raziel nodded and took the lead once the music started to play, still confused at Raven's sudden actions but decided to hold his piece as Raven actually seemed calmer now than she did earlier.

"Hey Rob! Sorry to break you up but the bwah...bluah...wha?" Beastboy started to say, his words quickly turning to gibberish as his gaze fell on who exactly it was he saw on the dance floor.

Raven immediately froze as she saw the changeling pointing at her like he had seen a ghost. She pushed herself away from Raziel and replaced the cowl on her head, hiding the blush that was lighting up her face. Strangely enough she felt both relief and disappointment that Beastboy had shown up. Before she could open her mouth to retort, Cyborg appeared behind Beastboy with a serious look on his face.

"Have you seen Robin?" he asks.

Raven pointed towards the bow of the ship where the boy wonder and Tamaranian were busy dancing. "Why? What's wrong?"

"We need to move out. JumpFlix is being attacked."

Raven recognized the rental store where they got their movies and nodded at Cyborg who then proceeded to inform the other Titans of the problem.

Raziel watched Raven walk off towards the T-car as he still tried to wrap his mind around what had just happened. Sure, he considered Raven a friend girl, but never actually considered her a _girl_ girl. The dance they just had, however brief, just reinforced that image; not that he was complaining, of course, but it was out of character for the normally stoic girl. His thoughts started to drift to Jinx as he had similarly confusing impressions of the girl who was friendly one moment and then _friendly_ the next.

"Buwah...guwah...durrr..."

Raziel let out a sigh as Beastboy's mumblings interrupted his train of thought. Snapping his fingers in front of the boy, the light of consciousness going on in the green teen's eyes.

"Wha? Raz? What was I doing? Oh yeah! Cy said get your butt in gear. We've got another guy causing trouble at JumpFlix!" Beastboy immediately ran off as he rushed to protect his favorite store, apparently forgetting the scene that froze his brain.

"Titans, go!" Robin orders.

"Yes! We must stop this heinous assault on the movie rental!" Starfire adds as she picked up Raziel before flying off to the scene of the incident. As he was carried off by the Tamaranian, Raziel he completely forgot about what he was thinking about as there was only a single thought in his head.

'_Don't I get to change?'_

-To be continued-

Another chapter finally out! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed and continued to read this story. Stay tuned for the next chapter! It's already in the works (meaning I have a few pages already written). Proceeds to chip away at Writer's Boulder

Later days!

Omake:

"So I suppose we'll have to ride the R-cycle?" Raziel asks rhetorically.

Robin nodded his assent; Cyborg had taken the T-car with him and the T-sub was too big anyway which left his bike. The fact that it was only a one-seater to begin with was an annoyance. "Try not to fall off," he smirks.

As they headed off towards the prom, they were lucky enough to hit a string of green lights and made pretty good time. Still, they did hit one red light which forced him to stop and wait for the signal to change. While waiting for the light, Robin's eyebrow twitched as he felt something poking his ass.

"What the f...!!"

"It's the vibrations," Raziel quickly clarified. (Couldn't resist.)

Omake 2:

"Kitten, can you explain to me how come you wanted to include that boy? I thought you wanted Robin?" Killer Moth asks of his spoiled (yet oh, so lovable) daughter.

Kitten suddenly had a faraway look as she seemed to swoon on her bed. "Oh, Robbie-poo! So strong and manly! And Razzie-poo! Animalistic and primal! I can't bear to be without either one! I must have them both!" she squealed, rolling on her bed while hugging two large pillows.

Killer Moth could only stare in wonder at his daughter, wondering if she had gotten that from her mother's side of the family.

Elsewhere:

"What dark sorcery is this that plagues the blue thunder? It is as if someone mocks the truest love I feel for my two loves!" Turning to the two posters on the wall, the man raised his fist to the heavens as a lightning bolt fell in the background. "No matter! I fight on irregardless of the foul sorcerer's tricks!"

Omake 3:

"Hey Rob! Sorry to break you up but the bwah...bluah...wha?" Beastboy started to say, his words quickly turning to gibberish as his gaze fell on who exactly it was he saw on the dance floor.

Raven immediately froze as she saw the changeling pointing at her like he had seen a ghost. She pushed herself away from Raziel and replaced the cowl on her head, hiding the blush that was lighting up her face.

"You...and him...you..." Beastboy began to stutter. It was a world-shaking event! He had to tell the others. Before he could move, Raven had moved up to him and waved a hand in front of his face.

"You didn't see anything," Raven says.

"I didn't see anything," the boy repeats.

"You are going to turn into a chicken and walk off the bow and forget you ever saw this."

From afar, cloaked man watched the scene unfold with unhidden interest. The power he sensed from the girl was something he had not felt in ages. _'The force is strong with this one,'_ he thought sagely.


	19. And then there were two

**Souls Entwined**

Disclaimer: The Souls Entwined story is my own concept. All characters are owned by their respective creators.

© 2007

First of all, thanks to **bookworm101**, **zackubernerdcondon**, **SwordofMagus**, **desert-tiger**, and **Raziel-Tepes** for leaving reviews. Reviews are always appreciated. My mind has been really slow for some reason but hopefully I can churn out the chapters much faster.

**And then there were two**

The man sat on the throne of the ruined temple, his brow creased more than usual as he watched events unfold in front of him. This world certainly had its fair share of 'monsters', both human and non-human, but none of them had what he needed. Worst of all, as he was loathe to admit, the ones that had the potential were also far too dangerous to simply confront. Still, for some odd reason the ones which pointed towards _him_ all congregated around the place called Jump City. The presence of the ancient device beneath the city had more than cemented his hunch that this place was where it would all end. Now if only he could find the means. Oh, he had the _means_ but it would have alerted _him_ to his presence; that was something that he had to avoid at all costs until he was ready. If he was anything, it was patient.

As the device continued to show him the images he requested, one in particular caught his attention, brining a smile to his lips which revealed his large canines.

"Ah yes, this will do nicely."

T-T-T

Raven was, in a word, annoyed. Again. First she acted way out of character which she couldn't really explain. Next, Beastboy had _seen_ her acting out of character. Finally, the green changeling had interrupted...something. She paused in her musings as she had no idea what exactly she had wanted to happen. The memory of Jen kissing Raziel suddenly came to mind which caused her blush. _'I did _not _want that to happen,'_ she hurriedly denied to herself. She was so deep in thought that she barely heard the taunt that was thrown her way.

"What's wrong, little girl? So afraid you can't speak?"

Shaken out of her reverie, she turns to face the fat, overweight and trying-to-be villainous red head that seemed to be dressed like something out of a B-movie...a really bad B-movie. Looking over him once, she rolled her eyes and gave a bored yawn. "Riiiight. Afraid of a couch potato with a souped up remote. I'm _petrified_," she deadpans.

"Oh, you will be," he replies. Control Freak points his remote at a bin behind the girl and gave it a little click. The bin began to grow to abnormal proportions, the drop slot morphing into jaw with a wicked set of teeth. He grins evilly when the girl whirled around with a look of fear on her face (to his 'trained eye'), his creation stalking her like a lion would stalk its prey.

In actuality, Raven was slightly worried at the display; animation magic was fairly high level magic and for such a small device to achieve these results was testament to whoever crafted it. It was also volatile and she didn't know how it would react to her own demonic powers. Thankfully she didn't need to worry about that particular train of thought as a figure launched a flying kick at the bin, knocking it a good ten feet across the room.

"What the hell?" Control Freak ranted as he watched his creation get tossed aside a little bit too easily for his liking. Looking at the girl's unlikely savior, he was surprised to see a tuxedoed individual dusting himself off almost nonchalantly. "Who the hell do you think you are? Double-Oh-Zero? For one thing, you have the wrong shoes! It's supposed to be Italian leather with silver trims. And that tie!..."

Raziel blinked in surprise as the villain continued to spout off movie trivia he didn't really need to know. He rushes in with a straight punch, intending to end this as soon as possible and get out of the tuxedo. It still had Kitten's perfume on it and he did _not_ need to be reminded of that girl. Unfortunately, Control Freak was a lot more agile than his size indicated, easily dodging the simple attack. He knew the tuxedo limited his range of motion but didn't expect such a fat person could move as he did.

"I'll have you know I'm a master of all forms of Korelian Jujitsu and Marvelian Swordsmanship!" Just as he sneered a blue beam slammed into him, knocking him into the cash register past a frightened cashier.

"And I'm a master of opening-a-can-of-whoopass!" Cyborg jeered as the glow faded from his sonic canon. The smirk vanished as Control Freak started pointing his remote at the snack bar, the candies changing into rabid little monsters which took off after Cyborg. "AAHHH! EVIL CANDY! GET 'EM OFF!!"

Apparently not satisfied with just the candies, Control Freak started transforming just about every piece of furniture and equipment into his minion. "Fly, my pretties! Fly!"

Even Raven felt her eyebrow twitch as the man cackled evilly. It was just wrong! Men didn't cackle! Summoning her powers to put him in his place, her eyes widened as several roles of film suddenly launched themselves at her, trussing her up like some bondage queen. She began to growl at her predicament but her anger started to turn to slight panic as the film continued to wrap around her. In the span of seconds she was completely engulfed by the darkness; stifling, suffocating. _'Ok, Raven. Stay calm. Focus,'_ she intones to herself, forcing her racing heart to slow down. She starts to call forth a small cutting spell but her concentration was broken when a voice whispered in her mind.

"**hEllo, dAugthEr."**

Raven's eyes widened beneath her bindings as she felt her _father's_ presence clawing at her mind. That time she had fought him in her mindscape, he had only taken control of one of her aspects; as such she knew that his power was greatly diminished. The power she felt now was like comparing a bucket to an ocean. She struggled to re-erect her mental walls even as the voice continued to taunt her. _'Stay out of my mind!'_ she mentally shouted back. Where _were_ her other aspects? It was the whole reason she created them in the first place.

"**oH, yOur littlE soUl sElves? PleAse. They wEre little mOre than An annoyAnce," **the voice boomed.

It was if something inside her snapped as Trigon forced an image of all her aspects, their broken bodies strewn across her mindscape, into her mind; each one of them staring out with dead eyes (at least those that still had eyes). Seeing 'herself' dead caused even her iron control to buckle as she let out a pained cry. Unbeknownst to either party, there was one missing from the 'scene' of carnage, one who still had the power to speak out even if her voice was overshadowed by the demon lord's. However soft the voice, the power behind it clear as it whispered one word.

"_(No.)"_

T-T-T

Raven's scream caught the attention of Raziel who was busy fending off rabid cash registers. Smashing a fist through one of them, he turns to the direction of the scream and immediately felt his knees buckle as the goth girl suddenly burst out of a pile of film, a sphere of black energy surrounding her as she levitated off the ground. It was accompanied by a powerful shockwave that nearly knocked him off his feet but that wasn't what caught his attention; it was the absolute fear that was running off the girl. He turns his gaze to Control Freak, said villain suddenly feeling a tad uneasy as he saw ethereal wisps coming from a pair of glowing eyes.

Raven barely heard the screams of 'mommy' coming from the overweight couch potato as she struggled to catch her breath. She had never felt so drained before in her life but it was worth it to keep him out; already she could hear his voice fade into the background as her mental shields started to rebuild, the voices of her other 'selves' making themselves known as they recovered from the mental onslaught. Trying to get back to her feet, she found her legs unresponsive as she took a nosedive back into the floor; at least that's what would have happened if she hadn't been caught by a pair of strong arms.

"We most definitely have got to stop meeting like this," Raziel intoned playfully. Even if his scarf covered most of his face the way his cheeks looked showed that he had his trademark smirk on.

Upon touching him, Raven immediately felt his concern wash over her which caused her to blush despite herself. While she could feel emotions from people due to her powers, it was normally more of a muted sensation, physical contact heightened it immensely and to feel that much for someone like her...it confused her a lot. She gave him a glare which came out muted due to her conflicting emotions. "I'll thank you to let go now," she deadpans, feeling a brief sensation of disappointment from the boy as he let her go which, oddly enough, made her feel bad as well. It didn't last though, as the sprinkler system suddenly came to life, drenching her, her 'savior' and everything else in the store.

"No! My precious...ous...es!" Control Freak wailed (or rather mumbled given the beating Raziel had given him) as all of his creations shorted out with the simple application of water. He furiously mashed the buttons on his remote which, unfortunately for him, had also shorted out with the impromptu shower. "Nooooo! Not my remote too!"

T-T-T

Kain stood by in the shadows, his mist form granting him near impunity when it came to shadowing the cattle. He watched as the children took away their opponent, smirking as he saw how much difficulty they had with such a simple animation spell. Control Freak had been little more than a sad excuse for a human before he met him. He had enchanted the man's (if he could be called that, the simpleton) device to breath life into any inanimate object but it was still a far cry from the golems he had faced; now _that_ would have been amusing to watch. Still, no matter how difficult a time the children seemed to have with their opponent, _it_ hadn't manifested yet. _'They are moving,'_ he noticed, wordlessly shifting to a swarm of bats and following his prey.

T-T-T

Raven slowly toweled her hair as she stepped out of the shower. While she lauded Robin for his quick thinking on disabling Control Freak's minions, the fact she was soaked to the bone didn't help endear him to her. Opening her closet, she glanced at the multitude of black leotards and blue cowls that met her eyes. _'It's not as if I actually need anything else,'_ she thought wryly. The nature of the Titans' 'occupation' didn't exactly lend itself to a normal lifestyle on top of her own inner demons. _'In more ways than one,'_ she snorts at the inadvertent joke.

She glanced at the one casual outfit that she had, a leftover from the single time she had mistakenly agreed to accompany Starfire in her 'mall' experience. It was a simple dress, really, being nothing more than a simple pale green sundress with a white blouse. She had only bought it to get the Tamaranian to quit pestering her and had quickly placed it in the back of her closet as soon as she got home. Still, a small part of her wondered if she would ever get to wear the outfit but that thought was quickly quashed by her usual reasoning of not being allowed a normal life.

Besides, if ever an emergency came up she had to be dressed in her usual outfit anyway.

Picking one of her spare costumes, she quickly donned the black and blue outfit and headed to the main hall. Upon entering the room, she saw that all of her teammates, sans Robin, were already seated on the couch.

"Are we watching it yet?" Raziel asks, the only one other than Starfire who didn't seem to mind waiting for the movie. But then again, he had no memory of any movie at all so this was a completely 'new' experience for him.

Anticipation clear on his face, Beastboy whips out his communicator and shouts into it. "Robin! Emergency! Come quick!"

Taking seat beside Raziel (which was the only available spot left, she reasoned), Raven gave a tired sigh at the green changeling's disregard for emergency channels just to get Robin to the rec room. As Robin burst through the automated doors, she gave another sigh at Robin's gullibility. After Beastboy gave a spiel about how 'scary' the movie was, she couldn't help but snort at the blatant ploy to psyche them up. "Whatever," she deadpans.

"Not afraid, are you?" Raziel asks Raven rhetorically.

"Oh, please. He does this for every horror movie we've rented." Her eyes widened slightly upon remembering that this was actually the first time they rented a horror movie since Raziel became a member of the team. "Since you've hear his speech, I can now say you've officially experienced all that is Beastboy. And no, I'm afraid not," she answers with a wry grin.

Apparently Beastboy heard them as he walked up to the two with un uncharacteristic glare on his face. "Not afraid? Not afraid?! Don't you know the history behind this movie? It's cursed! When people watch it, strange things happen..._evil_ things. Mua ha ha ha ha!"

Raven couldn't help but blink as thunder and lightning filled the air as Beastboy did his 'evil mastermind' laugh. _'That's new,'_ she mused, wondering how he was able to time it like that.

"I give it a 7.5," Raziel commented which earned him several curious looks. "I've heard better evil laughs," he shrugs.

Raven shook her head at the joke, pinching the ridge of her nose to stem the oncoming migraine upon finding herself agreeing with Raziel. "Just play the movie."

Seeing that he wasn't going to get any more reactions from the team, Beastboy pressed the 'play' button as he plopped himself on the couch with a pout. Music starts to play as the bloody letters of 'Wicked Scary' appeared on the screen.

The Titans watched their movie, unaware of the silent visitor that was giving them an amused smirk. _'Curious how these humans actually want to be afraid,'_ the person mused. He fought back a sneer as they screamed at the images projected on the screen, amused that something so 'tame' would frighten them. _'But such is the way of the weak,'_ he supposed. Still, he couldn't help but continue to watch, fascinated at how creative humans had become in this world. As time dragged on though, it was getting tiresome and quite painful to the ears listening to them scream. _'Especially the green one,'_ he thought mirthlessly. _'He screams like a girl.'_

His eyes fell on the two pale teens, the only ones not showing any outwards signs of fear; the female, however stoic she appeared to be, was literally overflowing with it. Feeling mischievous for the first time in centuries, he lets loose a focused killing intent at the girl just as the 'monster' roared on the screen.

"EEEEEEEE!!!" Starfire yelled, hiding behind Robin's cape as the monster attacked the helpless woman in the alley. Beastboy leapt behind the couch while Cyborg had turned just a tad greener than before. Raziel shivered slightly as suddenly had the extreme desire to jump up and run...if his legs actually responded. Everyone seemed to freeze up as the monster crept up closer and closer to its victim, eyes wide in rapt attention as the fear on the woman's face was apparent, a testament to her acting skills had they actually been observing the movie rationally. Just as a dripping tentacle reached out to the woman, the screen darkened, revealing only bloodied letters of 'The End?'

"Is it over?" Beastboy whimpers, the tips of his ears the only thing visible from behind the couch.

Raziel shook his head as he attempted to banish the disturbing images from memory; he hadn't thought the movie would have affected him so. He wondered if Raven was snorting in disgust at the film like earlier and turned to look at her face. His eyes widened as he saw her breathing heavily, almost hyperventilating in fact. Her hand was on her chest as her body shook with the unmistaken shiver of someone in the throes of fear. Reaching for her free hand, he was surprised to see a look of panic cross her face as she whirled to face him. The physical contact, however, apparently shook her out of whatever trance she seemed to be in the girl seemed to realize where she was, yanking her hand back like it was on fire. She immediately placed her cowl on her head and averted her gaze from him which caused him to frown in worry. _'She's acting...strange,'_ he thought to himself, ignoring the laughter from the other Titans as they commented on the movie.

Safe within the confines of her cowl, Raven tried to calm her emotions as she slowed her breathing. She didn't know what came over her; one moment she was watching the movie and the next she had felt this presence watching her with an inhumanly high desire to kill her. It took all her willpower to not shout out right there but Raziel played no small part in preventing that; his touch reassuring her that she wasn't alone. Not that she would admit it, of course.

"So, Raven, are you finally gonna admit you were scared?" Beastboy asks with a grin, poking the goth girl's shoulder teasingly.

"I don't do fear," she replied blandly, not really believing her own words as she stood up from her spot. "And if everyone is done screaming, it's late, I'm tired, and I really want to go to sleep now."

KRACKOOOM!

The Titans all flinched as the sound of thunder reverberated throughout the tower, the sound of which apparently reminding them of the need to go to bed as well.

"Uh...yeah, I need my beauty sleep..."

"There's something I need to check on in the evidence room..."

"My batteries need recharging..."

Raven couldn't help but smirk slightly as the rest of the team followed her out towards their respective rooms. They each bid their goodnights as they separated in the hallway, leaving Raven facing the door to her room. As the door hisses open, she eyed her room warily as she took almost careful steps inside. Each and every object in the room screamed 'dark' or 'gloomy' or 'goth', the only oddball was the giant stuffed raven that lay on almost reverently on her bedside. She frowned upon realizing she would have to hide it in a less obvious spot where people wouldn't see it...in case they entered her room...not that she'd ever invite anyone in...

'_I really need to sleep now,'_ she thought, banishing the foreign thoughts from her head. Hanging up her cowl in her closet, she lay her head on her pillow and prayed tonight's dreams wouldn't plague her like they always did.

T-T-T

'_Where am I?'_ Raven wondered. One thing was for sure, she wasn't in Kansas anymore given the sheer amount of fog she was seeing. She frowned at the horrible joke she had just made; she really needed to stop listening to Beastboy's movie references. Feeling a migraine coming on, she tries to pinch the ridge of her nose but found that both her wrists and ankles were bound by heavy chains; how she could have missed something so obvious was beyond her but she let out a bored sigh at the poor attempt to capture her. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos," she chants out loud. When the chains didn't even react to her spell, it was then she started to grow concerned. "My powers...?"

"Shhh..."

Whirling her head towards the direction of the voice, she tried to peer through the fog but it was so thick she probably wouldn't have been able to see anyone unless they were...

"Right in front of you?" a deep voice answers as if reading her mind.

Raven jerked backwards, hitting her head on the stone wall as a face solidified out of the mist. The leathery appearance of his skin clearly indicated he wasn't human, his appearance more bat-like than man. His brow was parted into two ridge-like structures which accented the long white flowing hair that reached past his waist. He smiled at her, revealing long canines that she was pretty sure wasn't just for show. "So who are you supposed to be? The spawn of Dracula?" she drawled dryly. She was a bit surprised that the man seemed more amused rather than insulted at her jibe though.

"I assure you, my dear, I am _nothing_ like that fake," he answers, cupping her face with his clawed hand. "However, I suppose we do share...similar _tastes_."

She had to flinch at the sudden contact against her skin, the claw tracing a line down her cheek which only accentuated her captive state. As his other hand slowly lowered her cowl, she glared at the man, unwilling to show any fear to what was obviously her mind playing tricks on her. _'This definitely is a weird dream.'_

"Oh, please. This false bravado you display grows tiresome," the man sneers, gripping her arm suddenly which caused her to gasp in pain. "If it wasn't for the fact you have something I need I would snap your neck right here. It would be so easy...complete paralysis," his voice intones almost hypnotically.

Raven felt her head being tilted to the side, exposing her pale skin to the vampire. She felt her heart beat faster as he lowered his face to her nape, his cold breath only causing her inhale sharply with each tainted caress. She could barely put up a fight, the slight chinking of the chains the only indication that she was even resisting his advances. Whatever control she had over her emotions was waning as her fear at not being _in_ control tore at her. She felt weak and helpless and desperately wanted this dream to end.

"I assure you that this is no mere _dream,_" the man growled. Truth be told, he was enjoying playing with her; he kept pushing just a tad more of his bloodlust into her, whittling away at her bravado until she broke. Just a little bit more and he would have what he needed. As his fangs neared her jugular, the fear he was feeling from her suddenly vanished, her eyes no longer wide with fear but narrowed; utmost confidence and power just hiding behind her amethyst orbs. If he bothered to pay attention, he would have noticed her the tips of her cape turning white as she spoke.

"_Get out of my mind."_

Then everything went white.

"AHHH!!!"

Raven's hand immediately shot up to her throat, frantically feeling for any bite marks before realizing she was still lying in bed. The last thing she recalled was a man biting down on her neck but her memory was hazy after that, the dream already starting to fade from her mind. The sudden crack of thunder causes her to flinch, unconsciously reaching for the stuffed raven beside her as the flash of lightning played tricks with the shadows in her room. It was bad enough that her...sire had nearly broken through her mental defenses earlier but now here she was, afraid of her room because of a bad dream. "Maybe I should consider redecorating," she murmurs to herself, shivering as the dream had felt so real. Laying her head back on her pillow, she failed to notice the other presence that had been observing her as she tried to go back to sleep.

T-T-T

'_Now that was unexpected,'_ Kain thought, rubbing his brow as the mental assault had left him with a not-so-mild headache. In his many centuries of existence he had been able to increase the power he had taken from Marcus(1), merging it with _the Whisper_ to enter any mind he chose. Not many humans had the mental fortitude to force him out when he had them under his thrall and a child like her shouldn't have been that powerful. It was almost like she was a different person when she had forcefully cancelled his mental attack. He was tempted to try again to see if it was a fluke but knew that he would tip his hand too soon if he did. If the images he saw back in the cavern were to be believed, another opportunity would present itself soon.

As if on cue, a scream reverberated in the tower which caused him grin evilly. The human phrase 'ask and ye shall receive' was certainly an appropriate one. He followed the girl as she rushed towards where the voice seemed to come from. As the other humans filtered in, he vaguely listened on their conversations; more focused on what he knew would be coming soon.

"Are you sure no one left the movie running?" Robin asks.

"I am sure," Starfire answers worriedly while holding up a DVD case. "And the movie is still inside." In typical horror movie fashion, the lights suddenly went out causing her to let out a small 'eep'. "This is most creepy, yes?" she adds, earning a nod from Cyborg who activated his shoulder light.

"Don't worry, Star. The storm probably knocked out the power." Robin whipped out his communicator, immediately checking for any news of the power outage (2) when a wet tentacle suddenly draped itself on his shoulder. "All right, Beastboy, you got me," he berates to the green changeling. He squinted slightly as the glow from Raziel's weapon began to light the room, causing him to raise an eyebrow in curiosity. Looking to Raziel's side, he had to hold back a gasp of surprised as he saw a very familiar purple and black leotard.

"That's not Beastboy," Raziel says just before all hell broke loose.

'_Such power,'_ Kain thought appraisingly as he deftly evaded the flying bodies and wild tentacles. Even though he was in mist form, he didn't know how those appendages would react with his non-corporeal body and thus decided to bide his time until the conditions were right. He watched as the children vainly tried to fight against the make-believe creature but he knew it was useless for them to even try given how much power it was radiating. He did, however, let out an amused snort at seeing a huge reptilian creature reduced to a small mammal with a simple roar. The rest of the Titans fared no better but a familiar flare of power caught his attention as one apparently felt brave (or stupid) enough to keep trying.

"I've always wondered how movie monsters would fare in real life," Raziel growls, the Reaver glowing brightly in his hand as he leapt high into the air. Attacking with a downward thrust, the monster was apparently fast in addition to being inhumanly strong as it easily dodged his strike. He let loose a flurry of moves that would have made any sword master proud but they still failed to hit the abomination, its body suddenly appearing to have lost all internal bone structure as it twisted and turned around his attacks. It was beginning to piss him off quite frankly as he wasn't used to anything being able to dodge his attacks this long. It was almost like it knew how he was going to move.

'_Then let's see I predict this,'_ he chuckled darkly. As one tentacle headed towards him, instead of dodging the appendage he let it hit him, the strike knocking him into a wall; or would have had he not grabbed it at the last minute. "Got you, bastard," he says, grinning beneath his red scarf as he stabbed at it with the Reaver causing the monster to roar in pain. His good mood faded as his eyes widened with shock, the normally bluish-white blade of the Reaver turning pitch black as soon as it touched the appendage. _'What the...?!'_ He doesn't get to finish that thought as the creature took advantage of his confusion to grab his head, slamming him into the floor with a resounding crash.

"Raziel!"

Turning an angry glare at the monster, Raven raised her hands forward as she prepared to summon her full powers. "Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!" she cries out. She freezes when not a single erg of energy came forth from her hands. _'It's...it's not working,'_ she thought, her hands shaking at the eerie similarity to her dream. The screams of her friends as they struggled against the movie monster shook her out of her trance as she noticed them being tossed around like rag dolls She gave Raziel's unconscious form a brief glance before charging at the monster; she was damned if she was going to let it take away her 'family'. Unfortunately desire could only take one so far as a tentacle slammed into her, knocking her headfirst into a wall.

POOF

"EEK! Someone's claws are on my grebnacs!" Starfire yells, a blush coming to her face as she tried to vainly remove the offending appendage (which was quite difficult given that her arms were pinned under the combined Titans' bodies.

"Whoops, my bad," Beastboy apologizes, glancing warily at Robin and hoping the boy wonder never found out what grebnacs were.

From her position on the floor, Raven rubbed the back of her head where it made contact with the wall. That was going to leave a bad bruise in the morning. _'Raziel!'_ She immediately shot to her feet but the head trauma was a bit worse than she thought as she wobbled unsteadily. It was only Starfire's quick reaction that saved her from a nosedive as the Tamaranian caught her arm.

"Are you all right, friend Raven?"

"I'm fine," the girl answers, giving the Tamaranian a brief smile of thanks. She heads over to Raziel, placing her hands on his head and trying to call forth her healing powers but like her offensive spells there wasn't even a trace of energy flowing to the injured boy. _'Why won't it work?!'_ she wanted to scream out. As much a burden as her powers were, they were the one constant in her life and having them vanish on her suddenly was...unsettling to say the least. Robin, thankfully, broke her out of her morose thoughts as he bent down to check on the unconscious boy.

"Pulse rate seems normal and he doesn't seem to be bleeding. Cyborg, can your sensors detect anything out of the ordinary?"

"Not that I can see, Rob," Cyborg answers, glancing up from the monitor on his arm. "I'm not exactly built like a medi-bot. We'd have to take him to the medlab but with the power out, that's pretty much out of the question. I say we just slap him silly," the metallic Titan teases.

"Slap _who_ silly?" comes the weak groan as Raziel, tried to sit up. He flinches as he touched the back of his head where he was slammed into the floor, a frown coming to his face as he admonished himself for getting distracted. His eyes widened slightly upon remembering what exactly had distracted him but, his gaze turning to his right hand as he tried to make sense of it all.

"Now that everyone's awake, maybe someone can explain how the heck we saw a _movie_ monster in our Tower," Robin says out loud.

"Don't you see?! The DVD _is_ cursed. Watching it opened a portal to the 9th circle of hell which summoned the monster from the movie. And now that it's here, it's going to eat all of us! And I'm probably tasty!" Beastboy lamented as everyone gave him incredulous stares.

Even Raven had to raise an eyebrow at the absurdity of that.

T-T-T

Still hidden in the shadows, Kain smirked as the green changeling attempted to explain the monster's origins, much to his teammates amusement. They had even suggested that the remote, something which he was intimately familiar with, had created the creature. _'Fools. If only they knew the power that had created it,'_ he thought to himself. Seeing that the teens had decided to find the 'source' of the monster, he decided to shadow them, keeping just close enough to react when the time came.

That 'time' was a long time to wait, apparently, as they had taken their time to slowly explore the building for any signs of intruders; painfully slow. The only break had been the search through the changeling's room but even the chaos that ensued inside was only mildly amusing.

"What did I tell you? Funny guy goes fiiiiiirst!!!!" Beastboy yelled as he was dragged off into the shadows the moment he stepped out of his room.

'_Correction,'_ he told himself after witnessing that display. _'That was definitely more than amusing,'_ he grins to himself. Now he simply had to wait for each of them to vanish before taking action.

T-T-T

Raziel was taken by surprise as Beastboy was forcefully dragged away. _'How could I have not sensed that?!'_ he thought to himself as he chased after him. Unfortunately it turned out to be a short dash as he slammed face first into a pair of doors. Growling as he rubbed his sore face, he used his enhanced strength to pry the doors open, eyes narrowing as he recognized the room.

"The evidence room," Robin says out loud. Walking over to a specific spot in the darkened hall, his eyes locked on to a small hand held device that caused him to frown. "It's right where I left it..." he murmurs to himself.

Raziel had the same thoughts upon seeing the device. If Control Freak wasn't using it, then it would mean something else had summoned the creature. The problem with that line of reasoning was that there wasn't any villain in the area that even remotely had the ability to summon a demon. _'Well, Jinx probably could, but she's been really well behaved lately,'_ he mused. Even if it was her, Jinx didn't have the ability to block Raven's powers and he would have sensed her right away given the type of energy she gave off. He was lost in his thoughts as things just seemed too familiar to be coincidence.

"I've got it!" Robin says to his team as he turned towards his teammates. "Control Freak _can't_ be behind this," he adds. Seeing the looks of confusion on the rest of the Titans he decided to elaborate. At least he was planning to before several tentacles lashed out from the shadows and grabbed him.

Reacting as soon as he saw the green appendage, Cyborg grabbed Robin's arm just as the boy was swallowed into the shadows. He pulled hard but the creature pulled harder, several more tentacles shooting out and wrapping themselves around the teen. The rest of the Titans rallied around him, grabbing whatever they could of Robin but no matter their efforts he still slowly sunk into the darkness.

Raziel reacted on instinct, summoning the Reaver with his right arm while hanging on to the masked teen with his left. He wasn't sure if this would have any effect but he plunged the Reaver in anyway. Not surprisingly, it once more took on the jet black appearance as it seemed to absorb the darkness around it. He frowned as he felt Robin pulled even further inward so he decided to dispel the Reaver as it wasn't really helping the situation. However the blade refused to listen to his command as it remained stuck inside the shadow. More disturbing was the fact that it felt like something was actually pulling it inward. "What the...?!" were the words he blurted out as he was suddenly yanked forward.

Starfire and Raven began to panic as both Robin and Raziel were being dragged by the monster. Raven let go of Robin and latched on to the pale teen, vainly trying to pull him from the creature's clutches. She pulled for all she was worth even as he continued to be swallowed by the darkness.

"C'mon, pull!" Cyborg yells.

Raven was barely listening but she refused to let go of the boy; loathe as she was to admit any emotional attachments, she'd be damned before she would lose anyone.

By this time, Raziel had more than half of his body already inside the shadow, whatever leverage he had to help pull out Robin was lost given his awkward position. Raven had grabbed onto his waist and was pulling as hard as she could but he knew it was to no avail as the 'creature' inside just pulled even harder. However, now that he was halfway in, there was no mistaking it. "Raven! You've got to let go...!" he tries to explain to the pale girl.

Raven's eyes widened in shock at Raziel's words. Unfortunately she wasn't able to hear the full statement as several more tentacles burst forth from and knocked her and the remaining Titans away, allowing the monster to take both Raziel and Robin with no resistance. "NO!" she yells, leaping at the shadow in vain as she slammed into a concrete wall. Her shoulders slumped visibly as her failure to save him weighed heavily on her, the emotions radiating off her teammates just adding to her own frustration. "I don't suppose anyone can guess what either of the two wanted to say", she asks rhetorically, earning shakes from Cyborg and Starfire. Her eyes suddenly filled with determination as she leveled a glare at the two. "Let's go. That _thing_ can't have moved far. We're finding them if I have to tear the Tower piece by piece." Her tone brooked no argument.

As Raven, left the room, one could almost see the proverbial sweatdrop on Cyborg's head as he turned to the one remaining Titan in the room. "I'm not sure if I should be scared more of her than the monster."

T-T-T

'_Impressive,'_ Kain thought as he was left alone in the room. The two boys appeared to have deduced the true source of the creature before being absorbed, even if the loudly colored one had initially believed the 'remote' created the creature. True, it was an artifact filled with Vampyric magic, but it was only enough to create golems, not living creatures such as the monster that resembled the one from the movie. Still, he knew that the human he had given the device to would be defeated by the Titans and that the boy, Robin, in his vanity, would take the device with him to the Tower. It saved him the trip of retrieving it from the police station and breaking in to the Tower. _'Ah, the joys of manipulations,'_ he grins to himself, picking up the remote and following the Titans once more. After all, it wouldn't do to leave something of his for them to examine.

He had to admit they were thorough, though. As he followed them, they had meticulously searched every inch of the Tower to no avail; the creature refused to show itself in the rooms they explored. The frustration and worry on their faces was truly a sight to see but the pale girl seemed to make them flinch with her next statement.

"There's still one place we haven't checked," Raven intones, causing the one called Starfire to 'eep' worriedly.

"Are...are you sure, Raven? The movie also had a basement..."

"It's just a movie, Starfire," Raven snaps, the Tamaranian flinching like a kicked puppy. "Let's go."

T-T-T

Much later Raven was regretting her words as Starfire was swallowed by mass of rats, her screams of fear echoing through the basement just before she vanished into nothingness.

"No! NO!" Raven shouted, clawing at the concrete floor as the fear on the girl's face was permanently etched in her mind. She wasn't given time to grieve as a hand grabbed her cowl, yanking her back up the stairs even as she struggled to break free.

"Calm down, Raven," Cyborg's voice intones.

"Calm down? Calm DOWN? We need to go back! We might still be able to save..."

SLAP

Raven froze as the stinging sensation in her cheek brought her out of her tirade, staring at Cyborg who had pained expression on his face.

"Listen, we can't handle this by ourselves. If we fall here, no one will be left to save them," the metallic Titan explained. _'Or avenge them,'_ he added silently.

Looking chastised, Raven took a shaky breath as she forced her emotions down. She nodded at Cyborg and followed him up the stairs without any further argument. At the back of her mind though, there was still the fact that it felt like her fault Starfire was taken. Even thought the girl seemed to be afraid of speaking up against her, it was still her who had thrown her out of harms way before being swarmed by the rats. Raven forced back another wave of emotions; the way Starfire was taken still too painful to remember. She nearly failed to notice Cyborg turn the opposite way had it not been for the sudden absence of illumination.

"Cyborg? I need more light here." Turning around, Raven had to fight back a gasp as she found herself alone in the dark corridor. _'No...'_ "Cyborg, this isn't funny," she calls out. "Cy...?" When no one answers her mind started to panic as the reality of the situation began to sink in; she was the only one left. The scraping sound from around the corner shook her out of her trance, causing her to back up worriedly. With her powers not working, she did the only thing she could.

She ran.

T-T-T

'_Finally!'_ thought Kain as the girl ran from her attacker. He finally had free reign to do what he needed. Looking down the dark hallway, his enhanced eyes had no problem seeing the twisted creature that flew towards him. His mouth upturned in a smile as he unsheathed the sword on his back, a faint glow coming off the blade as he grinned ferally. "Hello, beastie," Kain taunted as the bird-like entity opened its huge maw, the mouth growing to enormous proportions before swallowing him whole.

Immediately he was overcome by a sense of vertigo as the space around him tried to sap his consciousness. If her were a lesser being, he would have fallen right then and there. _'_If _I were one,'_ he thinks smugly to himself. All around him was just pure darkness but for some reason he could still see his own body. Wielding the last weapon forged by Nosgoth's Vampires, he plunged the blade into what he assumed was the ground. Almost immediately the darkness was dispelled which revealed a barren wasteland, floating rocks in an infinite expanse of space. _'Curious,'_ he thought. It wasn't exactly what he expected but it didn't matter. He could feel the power all around him; untapped and ripe for the taking. But now wasn't time for idle thoughts. By his calculations, he only had mere minutes to accomplish what he needed.

Closing his eyes, Kain started visualizing the object he required. At first nothing happened but slowly he could feel the energy coalesce in his hands. _'Yes...this is _it_' _he says to himself. _'A Reality Marble.'_ (3)

T-T-T

GHAH!

Raven spat out the black liquid as she was forcefully spewed into the main hall. Her training kicking in, she immediately rushed towards the door, slamming her fist on the emergency button which brought down the room's blast doors. Thankful that they ran on a separate power supply, she nearly jumped back as something crashed into the steel barricade, the blow leaving a deep impression on the door. The creature outside pounded on the doors once more, each attack echoing loudly in the empty room. It stopped almost as quickly as it began, the sudden silence causing her to release her breath which she didn't know she had been holding. For now she was safe. Not that it made any difference, though. She was now trapped like a rat; the thunder and lightning outside didn't help with the mood either.

THOOM

Her eyes widened as the punching resumed, this time more powerful than ever as small cracks started appearing in the indentations. A third punch finally broke through the steel wall, groans of protest coming from the metal frame as two claws tore through her only defense. The creature roared as it stalked her, its multitude of eyes eyeing her hungrily as the tentacles flailed in every which direction, ready to strike her down. Behind it, the rats that had consumed Starfire started to pour in, their glowing red eyes looking at her with the same unmistakable hunger.

The rats immediately ran towards her, nipping at her heels painfully. She kicked off the creatures, flinching as each bite left an ugly mark on her skin, before leaping onto a table to get away from the vermin. It turned out to be a temporary reprieve as the monster slammed its fists into the table, smashing it into tiny pieces. Her reflexes were the only thing saving her from the same fate as she leapt away from the attack. Rolling on the floor, she barely avoided another strike, the monster's arm gouging a piece of the floor where she once stood. Eyeing the thing warily, she starts to walk backwards but found herself backed against the window, a curse escaping her lips as she bemoaned her situation.

"Y...you don't scare me," she stammers, trying to hide the fear from her voice as the...thing...moved ever closer. "I'm not afraid...I'm not afraid..." she starts to chant like a mantra, the shivering of her body betraying her true feelings on the matter. With her powers gone, she couldn't even lash out in anger at losing her friends. It was enough to send her into a downward spiral of depression as the realization that her friends were dead and that she wasn't even sure if she'd see them again in the afterlife if it was real; she probably wouldn't even warrant a peek at the where her friends would go. That particular train of thought finally caused her to collapse to her knees. "It doesn't matter anymore," she says morosely, waves of depression rolling off her that would have made even the most cheerful of persons morose. Turning to the multitude of creatures, her eyes narrowed as she shakily got back to her feet. "Look at me," she chuckled darkly. "Denying I'm afraid when there's no one to deny it to."

The monster seemed confused at the sudden change in demeanor of the girl, halting its advance and instead appeared to be waiting for something. It started to take a step forward when she suddenly started talking.

"So what if I'm afraid," Raven intones, slowly moving towards the creature. "You've won...there's nothing left for me now." She was shivering in fear but it didn't matter to her; nothing mattered anymore. She didn't even flinch anymore as the creature leapt at her; even the urge to flee was gone in the face of claws which could rend steel. Closing her eyes, she waited for the end to take her. For just a moment, a nearly infinitesimal amount of time, she let go of everything.

Since her eyes were closed, all she felt was the impact of the creatures as they slammed into her, not noticing them suddenly melting into the same dark liquid that filled the elevator earlier. She screamed as it felt like her blood was on fire, the black mass swirling around her as it seemed to flow directly into her body. It tried to break away from her, taking the form of a giant bird briefly before retreating back into her body. The shock overwhelmed her senses, shutting down her mind as she collapsed bonelessly to the floor.

The crack of thunder and the flash of lightning made the scene appear more gruesome than it really was, Raven's body casting a large shadow with each flash of light. The shadow, however, didn't shrink, instead forming into several dark blobs which separated from her body. The blobs were indistinct but soon solidified into five unconscious Titans. One blob, however, was larger than the rest and appeared to be standing. The darkness around it dispelled, revealing a silver haired man carrying a large and elaborate staff. A groan from the floor told him that it was time for him to leave, his body bursting into a multitude of bats as they flew out of the room.

T-T-T

"Raven? Raven?"

Hearing her name called, Raven fought the raging migraine in her head and slowly opened her eyes, squinting as the first rays of sunlight stabbed at her retinas. Ignoring the glare, her eyes began to focus on the figure in front of her, the blur slowly resolving itself into a mat of dark hair and a deep red scarf. She had to fight back a gasp as her mind caught up with what her eyes were telling her. "R...Raziel?"

"In the flesh," he grins beneath his scarf before jerking a thumb behind him. "The rest are here too," he adds, holding out his hand to help the girl to her feet.

Looking behind him, she saw Starfire, Robin, Cyborg, and even Beastboy, waving at her, their bodies completely unharmed except for the odd messed up hair. "But...how...? I thought..."

"We were never in any danger," Robin clarified for everyone present. "When Raven denied her fear, it tried to find another way out. When the monster disappeared the first time, it was when Raven hit her head. After that, things just started to fall into place."

Raziel wisely kept his mouth shut about the 'not in any danger' part, idly rubbing his still sore head from earlier; Raven probably felt bad enough as it was. Looking at the subject of their discussion, he noticed her fists were clenched tightly, her head low and her shoulders slumped. She seemed to blush in embarrassment at the whole event but something seemed off about it; like it was almost forced. When he heard her heartbeat racing he knew something _was _amiss. "Well, I think that's been enough excitement for one night," he interjects, which caused the rest of the Titans to yawn as well.

The rest of the team nodded in agreement, all of them feeling dog tired and wanting nothing more than to get a good night's (or in this case day's) sleep. A suggestion by Beastboy to open up a haunted house next year with Raven's powers was quickly quashed by a glare from Raziel, the changeling chuckling nervously as he dashed out of the room.

Raziel let out a tired sigh, pinching the ridge of his nose at the absurd (yet not without merit) idea of Beastboy. He waited until he couldn't sense their presence any more before turning to Raven. Before he could even open his mouth to say they were gone the girl had already moved up to him, burying her face into his scarf before grabbing on to him like a lifeline. His brain had locked up at the uncharacteristically emotional reaction from the girl but given it was Raven, this was probably as close to an emotional breakdown as she allowed herself. "Raven?" he asks tentatively.

"Just...just let me stay like this for a while," she answers quietly.

Raziel complied with her wishes and silently wrapped his arms around her form.

T-T-T

As the swarm of bats entered the chamber, they coalesced into Kain's true form, the ever present smirk on his face as he once more eyed the staff he had fashioned earlier. Truth be told, he wasn't sure if it would last as things tended to disappear once they left the reality marble. Still, the moment of truth was yet to come. Walking up to a nondescript pile of rubble, he kicked away the rocks at his feet, revealing a small circular hole in the floor. _'The moment of truth,'_ he thought to himself as he raised the staff over his head. Plunging the artifact into the slot, a sudden flash of power radiates from the staff, knocking him several meters back. Shaking the cobwebs from his head, he turns to his handiwork and had to grin at the sight.

The pile of rubble began to shake, pieces of debris lifting up into the air as if there was a miniature tornado. In addition to the whirlwind of magic the whole chamber started shaking to its very foundations. As sudden as the quake had began it just as quickly stopped, a pristine white pillar burst forth out of the ground. The marble-like structure continued to grow taller until it slammed into the ceiling causing several chunks of plaster to rain on the ground. The glow surrounding the staff had now dimmed to a more reasonable level but still gave off an ethereal glow.

Kain chuckled darkly as if enjoying some huge private joke, his eyes gleaming in the pale light in the chamber. His lips twisted into a sneer, looking up at the sky like he was staring at something. The words that left his lips didn't mean much but sounded like a threat to whoever it was he was speaking to.

"_And then there were two."_

-To be continued-

Whew. Finally got the chapter done. Thanks to everyone who's stuck with me so far and thanks to all who have recently joined as well. It's for all you guys and gals out there that I continue to write 

I'd also like to say hi and welcome to **Zeroforever**, **Riye Link Reue**, **Jay Whitefox** and **Devilkeys Writing**. Hope you've enjoyed the story so far.

Notes:

(1) See Blood Omen 2. A Vampire that had the power to control and manipulate minds.

(2) I'm guessing that the communicator isn't _just_ a communicator. I mean, how lame would that be? Just a glorified two-way radio? I'd like to believe it's high-tech enough to have news feeds or something  (maybe wireless internet too...hmm…the internet is for...)

(3) This will be the only stray crossover with Fate/Stay Night. Or will it?

Omake 1:

Seeing that he wasn't going to get any more reactions from the team, Beastboy pressed the 'play' button as he plopped himself on the couch with a pout. Music starts to play as the title of the movie appeared on the screen.

"**La Blue Overfiend"**

"Hey, that's not the right movie," Beastboy comments.

Before anyone else could comment a loud moan erupted from the TV's speakers as a very non-horror scene started playing.

"Robin...I was not aware that human males had multiple..."

Suffice to say Starfire had some very interesting ideas that night.

Omake 1a:

"Hey, that's not the right movie," Beastboy comments.

Before anyone else could comment a loud moan erupted from the TV's speakers as a very non-horror scene started playing. Raziel was the only one still coherent as he noticed something on the screen.

"Is that...Robin?"

Suffice to say Starfire _still _had some very interesting ideas that night.

A/N: Ok, too many opportunities for scenes here...I'm ending it :p

Omake 2:

Raziel remained silent the next few minutes, letting the girl let out whatever emotions she was experiencing. Anyone, even himself, would have been...upset at losing everyone they knew. A good deal later, he wondered how long the girl was planning to hold on to him as sleep was starting to sound very inviting right now.

"Raven?" he asks, placing his hands on her shoulders. He felt a twitch just under his eye as he heard a soft snore coming from his chest. _'Did she just fall asleep?'_ Trying to shift her so he could carry her to her room, he stopped when she started to stir, holding his breath until she stopped shifting. Not that he was afraid, of course. It was just that Raven had a tendency to be not nice in the homicidal sort of way when someone woke her up from her slumber (as Beastboy could attest to). He wasn't afraid of a little pain. Nope. Not one bit.

Znrk

Nope. Not scared at all.

Omake 3:

Apparently Beastboy heard them as he walked up to the two with un uncharacteristic glare on his face. "Not afraid? Not afraid?! Don't you know the history behind this movie? It's cursed! When people watch it, strange things happen..._evil_ things. Mua ha ha ha ha!"

Raven couldn't help but blink as thunder and lightning filled the air as Beastboy did his 'evil mastermind' laugh. _'That's new,'_ she mused, wondering how he was able to time it like that.

T-T-T

"Why again did we use our powers at this moment?" asks a blue-skinned being.

The yellow-skinned being beside him shrugged as he raised his arms in the air, causing lighting to crackle around him. "I do not know, brother, but our green friend requested it and we are obliged to help."

Nodding at the logic behind it, he continued in his own tasks of summoning thunder.

Omake 4:

Kain could feel the power all around him; untapped and ripe for the taking. But now wasn't time for idle thoughts. By his calculations, he only had mere minutes to accomplish what he needed.

Closing his eyes, Kain started visualizing the object he required. At first nothing happened but slowly he could feel the energy coalesce in his hands. _'Yes...this is _it_' _he says to himself. _'A Reality Marble.'_ Taking a deep breath, he started concentrating once more, visualizing the composition of the object, imagining time tempering it with age; he would allow no compromise. The glow in his hands was now brighter than anything in the void, its light illuminating the darkness of the land. He grunted as he struggled to maintain his focus but forced himself to persevere. He nearly collapsed to his knees with the effort and was almost afraid he would fail but pulling forth the last vestiges of his strength he let out a roar of defiance as the world was covered in white.

When his eyes regained their sight, they widened as he saw the object in his hands. For years, nay centuries, he had been searching for this and now it was finally in his hands.

**Icha Icha Paradise Book. 1**, **signed by . First Edition.**

T-T-T

In the elevator, Raven could have sworn she was hearing a perverted chuckle in her head for some odd reason.


	20. Interlude: A Titan's Christmas

**Souls Entwined**

Disclaimer: The Souls Entwined story is my own concept. All characters are owned by their respective creators.

© 2007

Welcome to Gabrielus Prime, Tasuxeda and FenrirWarrior, foxyboy193, Dark Interlude, Serge666, SortaKindaMaybe, Dethklok, Deviant-Discord, Kiarem, konradamkool, and jdragonslayer159. Glad that you liked my story. I truly do apologize for the delay. My muse left me, been overworked at my current job, looking for a new job, plus...errr...other stuff have been really eating into my writing time.

**Concerned fan:** Yes, I'm still alive. I'm been just really busy unfortunately. I couldn't reply to your comment since you didn't leave a signed review 

**Anon**: Thanks for the fave! I enjoy getting reviews.

**Duke2**: I really wanted to write Kitten well so I'm glad it all turned out ok. Kain, too, so keep those reviews coming. Any comments are always welcome.

**Bookworm101:** I guess we'll see if Terra show's up, now won't we? ;-)

**Konradamkool**: Ah, the wonderful twisted mind of our favorite vampire lord. 

**Raziel Tepes**: Sorry as well that I haven't updated in a while. (see above  )

Anyway, to make up for lost time, here is a (late) Christmas present for all of you 

Next chapter will be up by the weekend so keep on reading. Enjoy!

**A Titan's Christmas**

'Twas the night before Christmas, in a place not a house,

Not a creature was stirring, except maybe a green mouse.

Some stockings were hung, a long purple one too,

And someone's spare metallic foot, stuck there with some glue.

Most titans were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of Slade mocked Robin in his head.

Both Raven and I, stayed awake for a night cap,

Not really interested in taking that long nap.

When out on the roof, we heard such a noise,

Which reminded us briefly, of Beastboy's electric toys.

Away to the roof, Raven teleported us in a flash,

As usual the experience was as pleasant as a rash.

The moon shone high above the new-fallen snow

As we phased through the ceiling, to see what was below.

To my vampyric eyes, through the dim light,

I spied a flock of wild bats, fluttering wildly in the night

Like liquid mercury they all seemed to merge,

And as a body grew, a great power seemed to surge,

The form became man, whose golden eyes promised pain,

There could only be one, it was the Vampire Lord Kain. 

If the man saw us, he gave us no hint,

As he brushed off snow from his sleeve like lint,

To the edge of the roof, he took a short walk,

Worried we were for our safety, but we knew we had to talk,

What reason would he, of all people, have to come,

If he looked for a fight, I doubted he'd find none,

Before I could stand, a hand fell on my shoulder,

Raven was glaring at me, so I asked what was the matter,

"We don't know why he's here, let's follow him for the time,"

She suddenly raised an eyebrow. "Why the hell am I speaking in rhyme?"

The answer eluded me, but it seemed rather minor, 

As the more pressing matter was to trail our silent visitor.

Wrapped around him was a cloak, clearly expensive cloth,

Which brought up the question of when and where it was bought

He reached for his sword that was strapped to his back, 

In the shadows I readied myself in case we were attacked.

When his eyes locked with mine, somehow sensing my intent,

Raven let out a silent curse as she knew what 'that' meant.

She saw him bare fangs, seemingly hungry with thirst, 

Turning to me she said "I'm going to kill you if he doesn't first."

As the sword left his back we knew that we were beat,

The man was death incarnate, from his claws to his teeth;

With a mighty clang his blade was struck against the floor,

Tendrils shooting out from the ground, binding our limbs, all four;

"You saved me the trouble of finding you two,"

"Now that I have your attention, there is something you must do."

The wicked gleam in his eyes filled me with a sense of dread,

As he approached our frozen bodies and tilted back our heads;

He spoke not a word, as a sharp needle pierced our veins

"A small pint is all I need," was what I could hear through the pain

The ordeal was over quickly, as two vials were filled,

Suffice to say Raven and I were neither pleased nor thrilled.

"I suppose I owe you warning, it is only fair,"

"Believe me or not, I do not really care."

"Take heed, Raziel, the wheel once more turns,"

"Plus a second player that doesn't cares if everything burns."

"I tell this to you now, because of the bitter taste you left,"

"For there will come a time for you to choose a 'life' over 'death'."

His cryptic words confused me, my companion as well,

But it looked like he had told everything that he had to tell.

As he turned to walk away, Raven started to hiss,

"Are you just going to go and leave us frozen like this?"

Only someone like her could look at death and yell 'Hey!'

Which is probably she continued to intrigue me everyday.

Still it wasn't very smart to antagonize Kain,

When he could very well decide to cause her more pain.

Kain turned around incredulous at the audacity of the yell.

And to my surprise he looked to me and said "Raziel, you chose well."

Before I could question the meaning of his statement,

With a wave of his hand, I was now kissing pavement.

Or at least I should have, had the soft snow not prevented harm,

Which bore the sudden question, was snow always this warm?

Straining my eyes, between two peaks was a red light,

I realized what it was; I didn't know Raven's cheeks could glow that bright.

Snow started exploding loud enough to wake the dead,

Which was certain to bring the other Titans out of bed.

Kain was sure to kill them all, if he was so inclined,

Unless there was intervention from something divine.

"Titans, go!" came the cry, the door falling with a clatter.

Silence immediately followed, I wondered what was the matter.

"Get a room," came the jeer, from Cyborg no less,

"Oh my," added Starfire. "You two are a mess."

"Th..this isn't what it seems!" Raven retorts with a stutter.

"Yeah, right," counters Beastboy, trying to hold back his laughter.

"You must come inside," one said, "before Santa can see!"

"I am sure you do not want to be caught being naughty!"

Our eyes were wide, and not from the person's ire,

But from the very fact that it had come from the girl called Starfire.

"Dude, look at these tracks!" which caused everyone to pause.

"These prints are huge! They must be Santa Claus!"

And suddenly as if to affirm the green changeling's conclusion,

Haughty laughter filled the air, much to everyone's confusion.

All of them standing did not know what to feel.

"Oh my! Oh dear!" Starfire beamed. "Santa truly is real!"

They rushed hurriedly inside, to check under the tree,

Quickly forgetting about Raven and me.

Left alone to our fate, I let out a groan,

Which, nestled where I was, came out a muffled moan.

To which Raven replied, more like a behest,

"Paralyzed or not, please get off my breasts."

She gave me a count, from one all to ten,

To get off her chest, and never speak of it again.

Ten came, went, and gone. Up to twenty in fact.

Seconds turned to minutes as we cursed our teammates' lack of tact.

Still unable to move, we planned revenge on those four,

Correction, make that five; With Kain; we'd torture him more.

Our eyelids grew heavy, the night taking its toll,

As our bodies grew tired from the brisk winter cold.

By morning I'd be dead, I could tell Raven would be mad,

Still waking up by her side, didn't seem all that bad...

-FIN-?

And so ends Raziel's first Christmas in Jump City! I hope everyone had a great holiday break! Merry Christmas to all! Don't let Kain ever bite!

**Extra Scene!**

Kain stood over the altar as he eyed the vials in his hands. "Blood of the damned," he chants, pouring a little of one vial into a receptacle. "Blood of the creators," he adds, pouring an amount of the second vial into another receptacle. "Reveal that which is hidden."

The swirling portal before Kain began to clear, the energies that were there coalescing to form the image of a young girl. Huddled in the darkness, her sobs could be heard through the magical field. A human would have been moved by the obvious distress the girl was in but for Kain he simply watched impassively. The image seemed to be shaking though, which made the vampire lord question the reliability of the ancient construct. At least until he noticed something very interesting in the image.

"I see," he says to himself, an evil grin coming to his face like the cat that swallowed the canary. If anyone was in the chamber with him, they would have shuddered at the laughter that reverberated through the long dead halls.

**Omake:**

"Aww, man! Why do _I _always get a lump of coal?" Beastboy groans as he upturned his sock.

"I received a Tamaranian blood gem!" Starfire squealed. "I had thought these were no longer possible to find!"

Robin was mystified as well. He didn't recall getting that for the Tamaranian, much less know what the thing was. Santa Claus couldn't have been real, right? That laugh earlier was anything _but_ a 'Ho Ho Ho'. That made it a mystery to be solved and he loved mysteries.

Cyborg rubbed his cheek against the present in his hands. "A new nitro-injector unit for the T-Car!" He stopped his ministration as he recalled something at the back of his mind. "Hey, Rob? Why does it feel like we're forgetting something?"

Robin opened his mouth to answer negatively when his eyes began to widen in realization.

"We are so dead."


	21. A Promise Made

**Soul's Entwined**

Disclaimer: The Souls Entwined story is my own concept. All characters are owned by their respective creators.

© 2007

Again, I'd like to apologize for the delay...this particular chapter has been the proverbial bitch/bastard as I've been forced to rewrite the thing 6 times now. 

Thankfully it's now done and I can finally get started on the next! 

A warm welcome to Raven of Alaska, really-great-noodles1, The-Eight-Sin,spikesagitta, Cro-Fael, HyperionTheWatcher, Dookie-Overlord, Banshou Shield, Atrun Kaosu, Agent Reptile, Aidan Fireheart, ReaperCB919, ocean's pebble, Silver King, dragon black, and Shade Darcia 

**A Promise made**

'_Let's see...Decapitation...too quick...Dismemberment...too messy...Dynamite...too loud...'_

"Stop it. That tickles!"

Raven blinked as she heard the giggling in the distance. She had barely finished getting through letter 'C' of her _'The Alphabet of Revenge' _book when the giggling started; she was now at 'D' and still Starfire and Robin continued what ever it was they doing (honestly, they had taken long enough but she didn't want to know). At first she tried to ignore it but the longer it went on the more it continued to irritate her to no end. _'Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos._ _Ignore them...ignore them...'_ she chanted silently in her head.

GIGGLE

SLAM

She could feel a vein in her head start throbbing as she slammed her book shut. Couldn't a girl plot her revenge in peace? Leaving her room, she marched towards the source of her irritation with the intent of reminding her neighbors that there were _other_ people in the tower. Rounding about a corner, she blinked as there seemed to be something amiss with what she was seeing. _'That's strange. I don't recall that many doors on this floor.'_

GIGGLE

She began to walk faster, her brisk walk turning into a quick jog as 'Rage' decided to surface just a tiny little bit. She could tell the laughter came from the end of the corridor, her patience already reaching her limit as she past nearly a dozen doors.

'_Honestly, if they don't stop soon, there's going to be hell to pay,'_ she growls as her irritation continued to grow. Finally reaching the end of the hall, she stepped in front of the door but had to stop as she nearly hit her face. _'Right...manual doors,'_ she groused. Pushing the 'open' button, she opened her mouth to start berating whoever was interrupting her silence when a not so silent moan escaped from the now open door.

Raven immediately froze as she saw 'herself' straddling Raziel, hands roaming over his chest as the two were engaged in what could loosely be called 'tongue wrestling.' She tried to avert her gaze but found herself strangely entranced by the whole scene. A large part of her was filled with righteous indignation about whoever was using her image to trick Raziel but an even larger part told her to shut the hell up and keep watching. She had to suppress a shiver as she watched 'Raziel' run his hand along 'her' waist, the phantom touch seemingly transmitting directly to her. _'No...this isn't real,'_ she told herself, closing her eyes as she tried to convince herself she was dreaming the whole thing.

The question of '_Are you sure?'_, however, was something she couldn't quite get out of her mind.

Cracking open an eye, she suddenly found herself in Raziel's arms while her doppelganger was now standing to the side, a taunting smirk on her face. "He...hey! What's going o...mmmph?!" Warm lips pressed onto her own as 'Raziel' wrapped his arms around her. As 'his' hand started to reach for the zipper of 'her' leotard she felt herself let out an involuntary moan. "No...don't..." she half-protested as a hand pulled at the zipper of her leotard with excruciatingly slowness, the gentle motion causing her to inhale sharply. As the zipper reached 'her' waist, 'Raziel's' hands went up to 'her' shoulders, hooking his fingers under the fabric and...

THUD

Raven's eyes shot open as she landed on her room's cold floor, her arms wrapped around one of her pillows as warmth started to fill her cheeks.Looking around, she felt a wave of relief wash over her as she saw that she was alone and more specifically, still fully clothed. Searching her memory, she frowned as the last thing she remembered was falling asleep in the snow.

'_That's right...I still owe them for leaving me and Raziel there!' _They could have gotten pneumonia, for crying out loud. _'Well, maybe not Raziel,'_ she thought idly as his unusual constitution (she still didn't think he fit the traditional definition of a Vampire as he seemed to believe) was more than durable enough to shrug off the cold, in her opinion. Her thoughts are cut short as the communicator in her brooch goes off.

" Raven?! Thank the stars you are awake! Robin is in most dire need of medical attention!" 

" No, I'm not!" comes an angry retort from her communicator. " I'm just...resting my arm... " the voice mumbles, obviously still loud enough to be picked up.

" Stay still, man. You don't want to aggravate it. " A short scuffle could be heard before Cyborg's voice came back online. " We're in the med lab. Get here before he runs away! "

"I'm on my way," she replies almost mechanically. Right now she would take anything to get her mind off her dream.Smoothing out her cape as best she could (she wouldn't admit to it, of course but she still had her pride), she phased herself through the floor to where the rest of her teammates were. As she neared her destination she could make out some conversation going on inside.

"Breath deeply, Robin! Long, quick breaths!" Starfire orders as she held the boy's shoulders, much to his surprise and shock.

"It's a broken arm, Star! I'm not pregnant!"

Starfire actually looked surprised at Robin's embarrassed answer and so turned to a giggling Cyborg.

"Sorry, Rob. I couldn't resist."

"I'm probably going to regret this but 'couldn't resist what'?" Raven asks as she phased through the ceiling. She saw Robin glare at Cyborg briefly, the metallic Titan holding his hands up in surrender as he succumbed to The Look™.

"Robin fell and broke his arm chasing down some freak on a bike."

"I didn't FALL," Robin huffs in indignation. "He just caught me off guard, that's all." He flinched as pain shot up his arm when Raven grabbed it and gave it a jerk. "HEY!" he yells as the bone was reset with practiced ease.

"Right, and this is just a bruise," the pale girl intoned. "Hold still while Cyborg gets the cast." She had to fight back a smirk as the boy moped about while the cast was applied. Honestly, you'd think with all the times he'd been injured he would have been used to it by now. As the cast began to dry, she ran her hands over the injury, speeding up some of the natural healing process which caused some pain to shoot down her arm. Ignoring it as always, she continued to pour power into the injury until she was satisfied that it would heal much better.

"Now then, that wasn't so hard now, was it?" Raven mockingly says as she patted the cast. Walking towards the medicine cabinet, she takes a nondescript bottle out, eyeing the label briefly before nodding in approval. "Take two of these and don't call me at all," she adds, tossing the bottle of pain killers at the boy wonder. "Now then, maybe you can let us all know why we had to set your broken arm first thing in the morning," Raven droned.

At first Robin seemed hesitant at appearing weak in front of his teammates but under their combined glares he finally relented.

"…"

"I'm sorry, what was it you said? I don't think they heard you in the HIVE Academy," Raven deadpanned.

"I got careless..."

Raven listened as the boy wonder detailed his latest scuffle against Slade, the villain mastermind having knocked the teen off his bike during a high-speed chase which would explain the broken arm. She could almost see the steam rising from his head at being beaten as he finished his story.

"So long story short is that you leapt when you should have looked," Raven concluded as she let out a tired yawn. She really needed to get more sleep today but somehow the prospect of _that_ dream coming up again was incentive to stay awake for now.

"Pretty much," Robin answered, much to his chagrin. "Well, I can't keep moping forever," he adds.

_That_ shook the tiredness from Raven's eyes as she and her teammates leapt at Robin, pinning him down.

"You are not moving from this spot, Rob!"

"Yes! Please do not aggravate your injury just after Raven has healed it!"

"I'm just reaching for the remote!" the boy retorts. "Besides, I may have a broken arm but you should see the other guy," he adds, grinning as he flipped on the TV.

Sensing him to be actually telling the truth, Raven nodded to her teammates to release their leader. Something felt wrong thought, but she couldn't place her finger on it.

T-T-T

A blast of magical energy lashed out from a deformed hook, the target of the attack barely avoiding it as the bolt traveled in a wild pattern. Glaring at his opponent, he growled in frustration at his inability to retaliate given the precious cargo that he was carrying.

"HAHAHAHA! Not so tough now, are you, _boy_?" comes the jeering laugh from the sky. The man's eyes glowed with an eerie red light as he twirled the magical weapons in his hands. "Think you're all that just 'cause you're a Titan? Don't make me laugh!" Launching another bolt of energy at the boy, he grinned evilly as a powerful explosion ripped the ground where the blast hit. However, as the smoke cleared there wasn't a body to gloat over. Off to the side of the crater was a manhole with the cover ripped open.

"You little punk! You can run, but you can't..." His tirade was interrupted by a bolt of blue energy that slammed into his mount, his attention now focusing on the one who dared attack him. "Oh, you did not just scratch my ride!"

T-T-T

"If you say so," Raven answers guardedly, still wary of Robin being not so obsessive-compulsive. Looking outside, she noticed that the sun was about so high in the sky meaning it was still morning; plenty of time to get some sleep. If her reflection in the glass was any indication, she needed it too.

'_Wait a minute.'_ Peering into the glass, she swore someone was floating outside but all she could see now was the shudder blue sky and flying seagulls. Rubbing her eyes, she took another look at the window but frowned as whatever she saw wasn't there any more. _'I could have sworn my there was something there. I must really need sleep,'_ she thought tiredly.

"If you're all better now, I'm headed back to bed. Call me when something _important_ actually happens." Taking the multiple acknowledgements/nods as their answer, she phases herself back to her room with the intent of returning to her slumber. At least that's what the plan was before pain shot up her arm. Flinching slightly, she takes a slight detour to the shower, taking off her cowl and tights and tossing the old clothes into the hamper before stepping into the cold stream of water. The shower served two purposes really; to cool the warm feeling left over from her 'dream' (she still had no idea how to categorize it) and to numb her arm that had started to bleed. If someone were to walk in and see her now (at least before she killed them for walking in, in the first place), they would have probably thought she had cut herself. _'Not that I'm going to tell them what it really is,'_ she thought mirthlessly as the wound in her arm slowly started to close. Still, if she had any say in it none of her teammates would ever know.

Toweling herself dry, she gave a soft exhale of contentment. The shower had left her feeling refreshed and served to numb most of the pain in her arm; it would heal completely by the time she woke up, by her estimates. Since it was a quick trip back to her room, she didn't bother changing out of the bath robe as she returned to her room. Upon reaching it she immediately lay down on her bed and closed her eyes, letting sleep overtake her as she hoped that her dreams wouldn't be as vivid as the last.

T-T-T

'_Where the hell is this?'_ a figure groused, the darkness only alleviated by the fact his eyes saw more than the average human. It was still dark, but at the very least not pitch black had he normal eyes. This little tidbit of information might have made him cringe in disgust at one point but today he had something more important on his mind. Breathing heavily, he willed his heart to slow down as he couldn't afford to waste any energy; as long as things remained as they were he wouldn't be able to address the situation at hand. As a few killer rats tried to nip at his heels, he kicked the few that got too close while flipping open the communicator on his wrist. "Please tell me his wonder willy is working again," he asks, not really expecting an answer.

True enough, no answer came. What he had thought was a sewer entrance led somewhere far beneath the city's foundations. Wherever it was, it was too far underground to get a signal out; that or the walls were too thick. In either case, the only sound in the tunnel, other than the static from his communicator, was the ragged breath the person behind him was taking. His face briefly became a mixture of grief and anger, eyes glowing brightly with power before once more becoming impassive. "Stupid girl," he huffs as he dashed down the tunnel. Given the way he came from had collapsed from the attack earlier, there was no other way to go but forward.

T-T-T

BEEEEEEEEP

Raven awoke with the sharp noise from her alarm clock. Looking at the time, it was already late in the evening which was odd in itself; she couldn't recall setting her alarm clock. Checking her arm, she found it fully healed with no indication it had ever been injured but she was still feeling weak and drained. _'Something's definitely not right,'_ she thought to herself. Healing something like that shouldn't have drained her this much and even then sleep should have at least given her a little feeling of rest. The growl of her stomach though reminded her that she hadn't eaten the whole day which probably explained her lethargy. Picking one of her many blue cloaks and leotards from her closet, she headed straight for the main hall for some food. As usual, Beastboy and Cyborg were arguing over their respective 'lifestyle choices'.

"TOFU!"

"MEAT!"

"TOFU!"

"TOFU!"

"NUH UH! MEAT!"

"And meat it is!" Cyborg cheers happily as he went about dialing for a meat-lovers pizza.

"Hey!"

Pinching the ridge of her nose, she decidedly ignores the two arguing teens and goes for her usual cup of tea instead of joining them in their debate. It really didn't matter to her too much what they ordered, as long as she still had her tea. The only thing she really disliked about her tea was the sixty seconds it took to heat water; it meant she would have to listen to them arguing for that much longer. Reaching for her tea leaves, she raised an eyebrow as the jar was nearly empty.

thump

'_Didn't Raziel just bring back a new batch?'_ she thought. Speaking of which, she was beginning to wonder where he was; she hadn't seen him at all the whole day. The hiss of the whistle startled her, not realizing she had literally dozed off standing. Hiding the blush of embarrassment from her face, she poured the hot water over her tea leaves, savoring the gentle aroma that always relaxed her.

thump

Again something felt off as the scent felt muted...dull. Taking a sip of the hot brew, she expected the warm feeling to fill her as usual but like the scent it came up short and lacking. _'Must be an old batch,'_ she thought. _'I should ask Raziel to get more.'_ She had tried to get him to tell her where it was as it was of a higher quality than her usual source but he kept giving her that damnable smirk and 'It's a secret' quote that drove her nuts. Of course, she had allowed it to pass as he always seemed prompt about replacing it but now that she didn't have any the thought of it was starting to irritate her.

thump

Just like that thumping sound that wouldn't go away. "All right, who's been making that noise?"

"Err...what noise?" Beastboy asks, his spatula frozen in mid-parry with Cyborg's ladle.

thump

"THAT noise!" Raven answered almost hotly.

Starfire looked confused as she and Robin stood up from the couch, the TV playing a 'My Tiny horned horse' episode that she had started watching religiously since it began. "I do not hear anything, Raven. Are you sure that...?"

T-T-T

Just beyond the walls of the Tower, invisible to everyone's eyes, a plethora of figures hovered just beyond an imaginary border.

"OVER HERE, YOU IDIOT!" a figure yells as it pounded its fists on an invisible wall.

"C...c...could you not yell so loud?" another one stutters. She immediately shrank under the glare of the one she had admonished. When a second pair of eyes began to open on the person's forehead, she flinched as she waited for the inevitable pain that was sure to follow...after all, the world was nothing but pain and suffering and depression and...

"Curse you, invisible wall thingy! You can't stay standing forever! I'll show you my youthful flames burn brighter than yours!"

Anger suddenly being replaced by irritation, 'Red' immediately slapped a palm on her face as 'Green' began to let loose another flurry of martial arts moves against the barrier, her fists causing loud booms as they slammed into the invisible fortification; and all the while yelling about the flames of her youth.

"It's not enough," 'Yellow' comments, observing the ripples that Green's fists left on the barrier. "She has retreated to the recesses of the ego, constructing this false world for her to escape reality."

"This shouldn't be any different from the 'world' we created. Why doesn't she realize that this isn't all real?" Red counters, pointing an accusing finger at the blue-cloaked girl just beyond their reach.

Yellow simply shook her head. "Her mind simply could not cope with the sudden reality that struck her. It is that inability to accept which has caused her to retreat here, further down where even we cannot reach."

"But this is _our_ mind. We are her and she, us. This shouldn't be possible!"

"But it is...because we are simply facets of a whole. She is the heart of it all which forms the crux of our problem. Only she has the power to break the illusion," Yellow answers, thoughts continuously processing behind her calculating eyes as she observed the scene inside the tower. Her eyes lit up as an idea came to mind. "Perhaps..."

"Perhaps what?" Red asks hotly. If there was one thing she hated it was being trapped and helpless, it was the whole purpose for her existence in the first place. "If you've got an answer then say it, dammit!"

Yellow took off her glasses in a rare move, pinching the ridge between her eyes as she let out a tired sigh. "It may simply drive her further down but I cannot think of any other way. We need something to make her reject this 'reality;' make her see this as not real. But we have no way of interacting with her so it is a moot point." Her eyes widened slightly as she saw her companion look introspective; it was never a good thing when _she_ started thinking.

Red suddenly had an evil grin as the perfect thing came to mind. It was going to be painful for all of them but pain was nothing new to her anyway. Turning her glare to 'Gray' who was huddled in a little ball, she immediately grabbed the poor girl by her cloak, hoisting her to her feet as four glowing eyes bore into her. "You. Get depressed. Now."

"I...I...I can't get depressed like a sw...switch. I'm just a...a...useless thing...can't do anything right...just too weak...alone...always..."

Red had to resist the sudden urge to face-fault; that was even easier than she had hoped for. But it wasn't enough. She needed something that would shake the very foundations of the 'world'. "Remember the scene we saw earlier? The blood? The gore? No pulse. No life. Just pure and utter carnage," she whispered into her ear. She could feel her own rage begin to boil but she had to force it all down; the strongest reaction would have to come from Gray if it was going to be of any use. "Do you remember how we held him lifeless in our arms?"

"No...don't want to remember...please don't make me remember...didn't want him to go...didn't want him to die...had to do it..." The girl was now blabbering incoherently, her eyes unfocused as painful memories tore away at her self-worth.

"Perfect..." Red turned back to the Tower as she felt the wave of depression wash over the entire 'world'. Now to see what would happen.

T-T-T

"Must be Raziel," she grumbled to herself, walking off in a huff to find out where the noise was coming from. She was stopped by a hand on her shoulder from the Tamaranian.

"Raven...Raziel is dead. He _has_ been for several days now. Do you not remember?"

In the silence you could hear a pin drop.

"Now that was just a horrible joke, Star. I'd have expected it from Beastboy or Cyborg but from you it just sounds silly."

Robin walked up next to Starfire, a somber expression on his face as he gave a small shake of his head. "She's not lying, Raven. Raziel didn't make it when we fought Johnny Rancid. His body was burned badly...it wasn't a pretty sight."

Raven froze in shock, taking a faltering step back before her face returned to its normal stoic look. "Ok, Robin, that's taking it a little too far. There's almost no way he could die. He told me himself." Turning her head slightly, she took off her cowl and pressed her brooch. "Raziel, I know you're listening so get your butt down here."

"Rae..."

"What is this, Cyborg? Pick on Raven day? This isn't funny so stop trying to fool me," she retorts with just a tad more emotion in her voice. She pushes her brooch again to activate the communicator built in. "Raziel? I said get down here." When no reply came, she turned to her teammates with an angry glare before stomping off to Raziel's room, all the while grumbling about inconsiderate teammates and their ill-timed jokes. Upon reaching Raziel's room, she stopped before pressing the 'open' button, a small piece of doubt settling in her mind which she quickly dismissed. They just had to be lying. "Hey, Raziel. I..."

The doors hissed open, revealing a room that looked like it hadn't been touched in days. Lying down pristinely in the center of the bed was a folded costume. Raven felt her heart seize as right on top of the costume was the charred remains of a red scarf and what appeared to be fragments of what was once a Titans communicator. She took a fearful step back, not believing what she was seeing; that was until the memories came flooding back in. Her mind didn't know what to do with the sudden rush of images so her body did the only thing it could think of.

It ran.

T-T-T

"I need to reconsider getting my own utility belt," a voice grumbles in the darkness, wishing that he had a flashlight or a flare. Even his enhanced sight was beginning to have difficulty seeing as even a night owl would have trouble with this kind of darkness. Deciding he had to risk summoning a little bit of energy, his glowing eyes providing just enough light to illuminate his way. Luckily nothing seemed to happen unlike when he tried to use his weapon.

'_Guess the change wasn't just on the surface,'_ he thought dryly. Wherever he was, the place reminded him of the medieval aqueducts, although without the stench; how he _knew_ what the medieval ones smelled like he didn't want to ponder though. Adjusting his grip on his passenger, he was still surprised at how light and fragile she seemed this way. Of course if she ever heard him describe her that way that he'd probably be dead before he could apologize.

"Stop..."

He froze in his tracks as the word slipped from her lips, immediately lowering her to the ground. Brushing the bangs from her face, he saw it was scrunched up as if in pain. Upon closer examination, his expression darkened upon realizing that she was still unconscious. _'But it doesn't explain her heartbeat,'_ he thought worriedly. For some reason she was agitated but he couldn't determine what was causing it. He both thankful and revolted by his ability to hear her heartbeat but it did him little good in this instance. All it told him was that in her current condition her elevated heart rate wasn't something that her body could handle.

The worst part was that he was sure it was he knew he was somehow responsible for her condition.

Another shockwave from the surface shakes him out of his thoughts, reminding him of the reason he was down here in the first place. Gently picking up her limp body, he continues down the tunnel, hoping that there was an end to this passageway. He could no longer tell where exactly he was beneath the city but as it was the only way to go, he really had no choice. As he rounded a corner, he stopped abruptly as he sensed a familiar presence close by. The sheer amount of power radiating from it was enormous. Normally not one to worry, he was sweating the proverbial bullets as he couldn't afford a confrontation; not now. Given that this was a 'one-way' tunnel, it looked like he wouldn't have a choice.

T-T-T

Raven ran. She didn't know why she was running but a large part of her just wanted to just get away from the sudden burst of emotions. Rounding a corner, she leans on a wall, forcefully lowering her heart rate as she brought her iron will back to the forefront. Her breathing still in hurried gasps, she tried to make sense of the sudden flood of memories that came to her head. In her mind's eye, she could see Raziel, his 'Reaver' drawn against some unknown foe. _Arrogance._ She also saw herself trapped in a sticky goo-like substance, the disgusting substance trapping her. _Abhorrence._ A giant purple dinosaur? _Confusion._ The next image to show itself was of a man riding a flying motorcycle.

_Johnny Rancid._

Simply thinking the name sent a chill down her spine. She knew she wasn't afraid of him. She knew what fear felt like and this wasn't it. Yet still something about him threw her off. The next image she saw gave her all the explanation she needed.

Blood. So much blood. She could remember feeling sick to her stomach at the sight of it. But it wasn't hers. Try as she might to resist the urge to look, her mind refused to stop playing back the memory. _'They...they're right... He's...dead...'_ As much as she might try to deny it, by Azar, she had hoped it was false but the image was crystal clear. The blood had come from Raziel when he shielded her from the explosion caused by Johnny Rancid's newfound powers, his body falling lifelessly to the ground while all she could do was stare in shock.

She couldn't fathom why the image shocked her so badly. True, she had always been prepared to accept the death of her friends when the time came; she had even mentally prepared the most gruesome images she could picture but for some odd reason Raziel's was something she couldn't bring herself to picture or accept. In fact, the unease the mere thought of it invoked was something she hated and would do anything to prevent it from happening. That particular train of thought caught her attention though as a fleeting memory tried to make its way into her head. For some reason that particular fragment refused to show clearly; like it was being blocked for some reason. She couldn't help but give a brief smirk. Blocked memories were easier for her to access than most people.

Sitting down (and not really caring that she was in the middle of the hall), Raven prepared to enter her meditative trance; perhaps in 'Nevermore' she would find the answers she sought.

'_Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos.'_

For once she didn't relish saying her meditative words. It would probably evoke images she had blocked on purpose but she needed answers. Taking a deep breath, she repeated the words once more as she focused her mind on the inner sanctum she had formed all those years ago, awaiting the usual feeling of disassociation that followed. Nothing of the sort happened which was weird in itself; it usually took no longer than a few moments to enter Nevermore. Thinking she was simply too distraught to concentrate, she closes her eyes and empties her mind of all thoughts before chanting again. This time, however, things were vastly different as all around her reality simply started to break apart.

'_What the hell is going on?!'_ Light started bursting forth from spider-web cracks in the floor, the ceiling...everywhere. She wasn't about to stay and find out what that light was so once more she began to run. "Starfire! Cyborg! Does anyone read?" she yells out into her communicator. To the credit of Murphy's Law, her communicator chose that time to apparently break down as no sound could be heard from it. There wasn't much time to curse the situation as the world continued to fracture around her. Much to her consternation, she was forced to run once more as being caught in one of those fractures didn't seem overly pleasant.

Everywhere she ran, the fractures seemed to follow her, barely allowing her the chance to catch her breath before they appeared at her feet. She couldn't even use her powers to phase through the walls as she wasn't sure how those things would react to her demonic energies. Finally reaching the main hall, she was both relieved that the door didn't have signs of the fractures, yet pissed that it was closed. Pushing the 'open' button, she frowned as the door failed to respond to her multiple jabs; that left only one option to open the door.

'_No sense worrying about that now,'_ she thought dryly. Summoning her powers, the dark energies wrapped around the doors, steel groaning in protest as she literally tore them off their hinges while rushing inside. "Everyone! We need to evac..." Raven's warning died in her throat as she saw the room completely devoid of life; even her empathic senses couldn't feel anything in the immediate area.

She nearly collapsed to her knees right there had it not been for the crackling sound coming from behind reminding her of the immediate danger. Her lips pursing in thinly veiled worry for her wellbeing, she decided that her best bet was to get as far away from the Tower as possible. She prepared to blow open the windows to get some distance but before she could even try the fractures formed in front of her as well. Now completely surrounded, she almost laughed at the irony of it all; she came into the world alone and now she would die alone. That particular thought suddenly gave her pause as every thing began to fall in place; the muted sensations, the 'gap' in her memory, and the absolute lack of life that she could sense. Even insects would have been within the range of her senses if she really tried. Once more observing the collapsing reality around her, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. If what she thought was false, it wouldn't matter anyway if she had them open or not.

Seconds seemed to take an eternity as she simply waited. Most people would have been nervous with anticipation of _something_, anything, after seeing what she saw . Thankfully (or unluckily, as fate had it), she wasn't 'most' people. Within the next few moments the 'world' shattered, pieces of reality breaking like a glass window.

T-T-T

A blade of light pierced the concrete street, easily slicing through the man-made material like a hot knife through butter. It sank down once more before bursting forth multiple times in a circular pattern. As it sank one final time, a glowing ball of energy blasted through, the explosion blowing chunks of debris outward as the telekinetic burst continued skyward. A few moments later a figure leaps out of the hole, landing silently a safe distance way from the hole. It immediately scanned the area for any signs of danger, relaxing only when he was sure that there wasn't any chance of discovery.

Finally coming to rest inside a structure, what he surmised to be a former bus shelter, Raziel heard the sounds of carnage a few blocks away, now more violent than before as the sounds of clashing steel now filled the air. From the haughty laughter he could hear, he wondered if it had been worth the risk to make the deal with the proverbial devil. Feeling her pulse weaken once more, he recalled what he was told and forced more of his energy into her, the familiar tendrils of the Reaver flowing through their linked hands. Any doubts were then erased from his mind as her heart rate and breathing eased once more. Still, he didn't know how long he could keep doing this but he knew it couldn't last forever as he felt himself weakening already. It frustrated him greatly but until Johnny Rancid was put down he couldn't find a hospital even if he tried.

As he brushed one of her bangs from her face, Raziel nearly had a heart attack as Raven suddenly let out a loud gasp, her body shooting straight up as consciousness returned to her. "Raven!" He saw her eyes go wide in pain, a silent scream escaping her lips as she began to spasm. Her back was arched so much that it looked like she was going to break it. Unsure of what to do, he reacted on instinct, gathering her up in an embrace so she wouldn't aggravate her injuries further. The spasms continued for nearly a minute before subsiding completely, her breathing now returning to relaxed breaths. Slowly releasing the girl, he was both surprised to see her eyes looking at him with confusion before changing to undisguised relief.

"...Raziel...you're alive..."

"Which is more than I can say for you," the boy answers, gently setting her against a wall so that she was seated upright. "I've tried to heal you as best as I could but we need to get you real medical attention. With what's been going on I don't think we're finding a hospital any time soon."

Raven nodded weakly as she allowed her body to heal itself. At first she was afraid that this was simply all another dream but now her complete memories were available to her; she had tried to completely remove all of Raziel's injuries when he was struck by Johnny Rancid. Apparently she had succeeded, given her body's condition. She and would have shaken her head in disbelief if she had the strength; she could have killed herself attempting that level of healing on Raziel. Feeling her strength returning quicker than normal, she finally noticed the energy that was flowing into her from her hand; a hand that Raziel was currently holding. Her eyes widened as she realized what he meant by healing her. "Stop it...You don't..."

"Yes, I do. And until reality resets you'll take what you're given."

The tone of his voice brooked no argument so she allowed him to pour some of his life force into her. Raven knew that once he got an idea in his head he was even more stubborn than she was. How he had discovered how to force his life energy into her was something she would have to ask him one day but she knew that even he wouldn't do something so foolish unless it was warranted. Given her injuries, it was probably the only thing that had kept her stable while she was unconscious. With her empathic abilities, it wasn't hard for her to sense the concern flowing from him which made her feel a little guilty for making him worry. It was still partially his fault for making _her_ act like that so it evened itself out. The sounds of clashing steel in the distance however shook her out of her musing as it sounded pretty intense even from where they were. "What's going on out there?" she asks, shifting her position to try to get a better look.

Raziel gave an uneasy look in the direction of the fight. From their current position, only the sounds and flashes of light gave any indication that something fierce was going on. "Let's hope it's something in our favor," he answers vaguely.

She felt uneasy about his statement as a muted feeling came through their physical contact but dismissed it as her mind simply still in shock. Flinching as she felt a few of her smaller wounds close up, a sudden wave of shock emanating from Raziel was enough to let her know her 'secret' was out; notwithstanding the fact he was staring at her with wide eyes. Slowly removing her hand from Raziel's she held it up to forestall any disagreement from him.

"I know you're wondering how I did that and before you ask how I know what your thinking, I'm an empath, remember?" Rolling down her sleeve, she revealed pale unblemished skin which was untouched unlike most of her body. "Most demons can feed off people's pain and suffering. It's like drug for them which is why they either seek it out or try to cause as much of it as possible. For me, it's a bit different."

Before he could ask what that meant, Raven's nail raked across his arm, a small cut appearing where it had made contact; he hadn't known her nails were that sharp. He barely had time to flinch when she placed her hand over the cut. As her 'healing' power closed his wound, he saw a painful looking welt appear on the same location on her arm.

Holding up the fresh wound, she looked him straight in the eye while keeping her own expression stoic. "Now you know my deep dark secret," she chuckles dryly. "I don't tell people about it because I'd rather they not worry about me. It usually heals on its own anyway so..." To her surprise, Raziel simply grabbed her hand again and continued to do what he had done earlier, restoring her energy at the cost of his own. "Didn't you hear what I just said? I'll heal on my own so stop...:"

"Do you think I would be grateful if I knew I was the one who caused you to die?"

The question caught her somewhat off guard. True, it was her own fault for exerting herself too much but this was exactly the reason why she didn't tell people about it. When people found out, they got concerned and when they got concerned they became too close to her and she didn't want them to get too close to her because it would just cause them to worry about her even more with all the secrets she kept; it would make things that much harder for her in the future. Unable to meet his gaze or answer his question, she simply averted her eyes as she really didn't know what to say. She barely had time to think of an appropriate response when Raziel grabbed both of her arms and whirled her around to face him.

"Promise me you won't take your life so lightly again!"

He was squeezing her so hard that she had to flinch in pain. Who did he think he was, lecturing her about that? The least he could be was be even a tad bit grateful that she saved his life. She was about to open her mouth to berate him when he whispered ever so softly.

"Please..."

His voice was quiet and even but the desperation behind his request was undeniable. In his mind, she caught an image of her bloodied and bruised body cradled in his arms and knew right then and there why he was acting so strange. She was a bit surprised that someone would care so much for her and a part of her was even grateful for his concern. It made her wish she didn't have to lie to him. Giving a 'hesitant' nod, she immediately felt the wave of gratitude wash over Raziel, his shoulders slumping in visible relief. She knew that she wouldn't be able to honor that promise but for now she would let him believe everything was all right.

Raziel, on his part, couldn't help but smile thankfully. He would be damned if he would allow anything to happen to Raven. She was probably the closest person he would call friend in the Titans and he would do anything to protect her; he owed her at least that much. The mood was predictably shattered when a magical shockwave rippled through the area, reality changing back from the dark and brooding atmosphere to the familiar bright and cheery streets of Jump City.

"Well, I'm certainly going to miss the décor," Raven quips, mouth upturned in a frown at the return of the 'good old' city. Rancid may have been homicidal when he got those powers but he certainly had good taste.

" Raven! Raziel! Do you read me? " Robin's voice suddenly chirps though the two communicators.

Seeing as that she wasn't going to be up and about any time soon, Raziel flipped open his communicator to respond to the boy wonder. "Raziel here. I'm with Raven. Took you long enough to defeat Rancid. I couldn't get a signal to anyone with what the psycho biker did."

" Well, we can thank Larry for that. Johnny Rancid got careless and Larry was able to take back his powers. "

" I'm just glad that that creepy dude didn't get the powers from Johnny before Larry did, " Beastboy adds.

Raven's eyebrows rose at the mention of a third party in the mix. Last she recalled it was only them and Rancid but given the changes that had occurred there was a high probability of some other villains who would try to take advantage of the situation. "Who was it?" she asks, hiding the obvious difficulty she was having just pressing her brooch. There was some uneasy silence before anyone replied. It was only Starfire who broke the quiet although she could tell there was some hesitation on her part.

" It was the man we encountered in the sewers before (1). He said that Johnny Rancid was not fit to be a god and that he would take that power for himself. "

" But Larry beat him to it! Larry did good! Wheeeee! "

Raven would have fought the urge to cover her ears if she wasn't already too weak to actually lift her arms. The sooner Robin's DNA buddy left, the happier her ears would be. Still, it was worrisome that someone who clearly outclassed them was active now. What is ultimate motive was they didn't know but now that he was showing himself it was troubling to say the least. Looking towards Raziel, she was that even he was troubled by the news and it took a lot to make him worry.

" We'll worry about him another time. For now, Titans, let's regroup at the tower. I've got an arm that needs fixing. "

A cheer goes up on the other end of the communicator before getting cut off, leaving two pale teens at the bus stop with a fair amount of dread.

"Think we should head back to the tower?" Raziel asks.

"I think I'll let you heal me up first," she answers after a moment of pondering. "I'd rather not appear like I went a round with Cinderblock." The whole situation felt almost normal to her, as if the entire incident with her and Raziel never happened. It was a comforting situation and one which she hoped would last just a little bit longer. Not that it mattered that Raziel was still holding on to her hand or anything. She just found it too much effort at the moment to change positions.

Or so she kept telling herself.

T-T-T

Much later, atop a penthouse balcony, a man was calmly sipping red wine seemingly without a care in the world. The moon was high up in the air, its pale light casting an eerie shadow on the floor's only occupant.

"I see you've settled in quite nicely here. Can I assume that this is all paid for?" a voice asks dryly.

The man turned to face his visitor, mouth turned up in a condescending sneer. "Of course. Its former occupant was more than happy to pay for the, how do you say, _rent,_ for the year. I will admit that this is far more comfortable than my previous domicile as you are well aware." Placing down the wineglass, he stood up to his full height which caused the visitor to step back cautiously, his unease causing the man to chuckle deeply. "If I had wanted you dead, you wouldn't be standing here before me," he answers with a grin, one more suited to the cat that ate the canary. With a flourish of his arm, he motions for his guest to enter the suite. "Now then, I believe the matter of your promise needs to be discussed."

-To be continued-

Aaaaand I finally got it out! Woo hoo! I really need to budget more time to write. Unfortunately most of my ideas come out during the day when I'm at work  The recent string of lay offs has made it a tad difficult to look busy while writing fanfic. :p Overall, I'm satisfied with the way this chapter has turned out. Not completely happy but I basically wrote myself into a corner a lot of times so getting it out this far was lucky for me.

Thanks again to everyone who's been so patient with me so far. Again, I do this all for the readers (now click that review button if you love me too :p ) As for the next chapter, I left a little hint in the interlude (previous chapter) 


	22. Easier to run

Souls Entwined

**Souls Entwined**

Disclaimer: The Souls Entwined story is my own concept. All characters are owned by their respective creators.

© 2007

New readers! Whee! Welcome to Hakun and michikoal! Thanks for the favorite!

**Easier to run**

Struggling to catch her breath, the girl's eyes darted around the dark cavern trying to find the source of the rumbling. It seemed to reverberate from everywhere which made pinpointing its source all the more difficult. All she knew was that it was getting closer. While she couldn't see in the darkness, she knew where each stalactite was, where every fork in the tunnels began. The _thing_ chasing her was apparently no different. She knew that it was fast approaching and that she had to keep running.

'Running'. The word only had one meaning for her. How long had it been since she started? The only real memory she had was of running and even that was so long ago. Was it five years? Five months? She didn't really know. Running always equaled safety and she wasn't about to stop now. True, this time it really was her fault that the _thing_ decided to chase her but she never planned on it being so persistent. Turning down one of the tunnels, she stops as she reaches the end of the line, a spot one would normally call a 'dead end.'

However, normal was one word that didn't apply to her.

Raising a hand to the rock face, it began to emit a soft yellow glow which slowly turned into a miniature sun, its light banishing the darkness of the cave. "Looks like I have to use you again," she says to herself. A sad smile on her face, she drew back her fist and let out a pain-filled yell, her tortured cry drowned out by the sudden explosion of power as flesh met stone.

T-T-T

"That's the seventh time this week alone!" Robin grumbles with frustration as he remembered the articles in the Jump City Times. For the past week there were a series of "micro-tremors" (as the scientists of the city started calling it) that seemed to originate from several miles outside the Jump City limits. The weird thing about it was that there were no naturally occurring fault lines even remotely near that area much less inside it.

The Titans themselves had flown in each time a tremor occurred but even they couldn't find the source of the quakes. The only two who seemed to sense anything were Raven and Raziel but all they could make out was that 'something' was there but now it wasn't. Of the two, Raziel seemed tense about what he was sensing while Raven was just herself (which meant she really didn't have much to say about it). Given his own feelings on the matter, Robin felt it was good enough for him to warrant continuing their investigation, much to the chagrin of one of his teammates.

"Dude, we've been searching this area for like, two hours now. If anything was here, it's long gone by now."

Robin ignored the boy's complaints as he looked over the cliff. He just couldn't understand how a quake could just happen in this area. Whipping out his pocket PC (A/N: I have no idea what else to call it), he brought up a topographical map of the area and the site of the most recent quake. Once again there was no obvious cause for the tremor; no fault lines, no sink holes, no nothing. He froze as a thought entered his mind and felt like hitting himself being so stupid; he was so busy searching for a fault line that he completely missed the obvious. Setting the computer to display the epicenters over time, he saw one thing which disturbed him; they were slowly approaching Jump City. Still, even if one of those tremors happened right beneath the city it wouldn't even register a three on the Richter scale so the threat was actually minimal. His thoughts drifted to Slade but even he had to concede that if he were Slade he wouldn't do something so petty. Just as he thought his frustration wouldn't end, Raziel suddenly landed next to him from his perch above, his eyes focused on a bend in the canyon.

"I believe our quarry has decided to show itself," he says to the boy wonder as the ground started to shake.

Robin whips out a pair of binoculars and looks at the canyon wall. A loud boom rocks the area as a huge chunk of the canyon was blown outwards. "Cyborg, do you read anything?"

"I'm reading two life-forms. I can't make out more than that. There're a lot of iron deposits in these canyons that are messin' up my sensors."

Enabling the maximum zoom on the binoculars, he saw a blonde girl running away from a huge scorpion. It shocked him a little that such a creature existed but after all that he'd scene back in Gotham he was able to quickly quash the feeling. "Titans, you know the drill!" he yells out, putting away the binoculars and leaping to action.

T-T-T

"C'mon! It was only one egg!! You've got a dozen more!!" the girl yells out as she dodges a fatal strike from the scorpion's stinger. It wasn't her fault that she hadn't eaten in several days. Disgusting as they were, those eggs would have been her first meal that she didn't have to scrimp on. Unfortunately it looked like the scorpion wasn't feeling particularly generous as it continued to hound her through the canyon. She was lucky enough that she had finally made it to the surface but after running for so long her legs felt like lead. Her fatigue finally caught up with her as she tripped over a small rock and took a bad tumble, skinning her knee in the process.

The creature apparently sensed her pain as it tried to crush her with one of its legs. It was only years of living on the run that gave her the reflexes to jump out of the way. Already short of breath and her leg throbbing with pain, she still pushed herself to run just a little bit more; up ahead was just what the doctor ordered. Approaching a dead end, she whirls around to face the scorpion as it loomed menacingly in front of her. _'I hope this works,'_ she thinks to herself as she felt her throat go dry with nervousness; she really didn't want to wind up a smear in the desert.

The scorpion seemed to be eyeing her almost like it had a smug expression on its face. For each step she took backwards, it took a giant step forward. _'Please work, please work, please work,'_ she whispers to herself. As the creature took another step forward, her eyes began to glow brightly as she felt her powers flow through her body. She holds her arms out to her sides, her hands glowing with the same light that shone in her eyes. _'Just a little closer...now!'_ Clapping her hands together in a prayer-like position, two pillars of stone burst out of the canyon wall like medieval battering rams, crushing the giant scorpion in between them.

Green ichor flowing from between the stones, Terra waited a few tense moments before letting out a sigh of relief; the thing was finally dead. She felt a bit sorry for it but dismissed the idea as her skinned knee reminded her it was hurting. Hissing in pain as she held her injured leg, she steadies herself and turns around to face the 'audience' that had gathered, sighing at their attempts to be invisible as she had 'felt' them approaching earlier.

'_Might as well get this over with.'_ Summoning her powers once more, she causes the ground beneath her to rise up like a spire, placing her on even level with the six teens on the cliff. Leaping off her perch, she immediately recognized the person who approached her.

"Hi, I'm..."

"Robin, leader of the Teen Titans. It's soooo cool to meet you guys at last!" the girl interjects before he could introduce himself. "And you must be Cyborg, Starfire, Raven..."

"AND I'M BOY BEAST! I MEAN BARF BAG! I MEAN..." Beastboy stammers as he tried to introduce himself to the girl.

"You're funny, Beastboy" the blonde giggles as she watched the green changeling fumble with his words. Her eyes fall on the sixth member of the group which causes her to raise her eyebrows in confusion; he seemed to be eyeing her critically like...was he checking her out? She never really liked it when people stared at her; it made her feel that much more self-conscious. "Wh...what? Do I have something in my hair?" she asks, immediately pulling at her long locks as she was really proud of her hair...well, when she had a chance to clean up, anyway.

Realizing he had been caught staring, Raziel gave a forced cough as he held out a hand to greet the girl. "H..."

WHACK

"He's Raziel, and he's been with the Titans for several months now. Kind of like a new recruit," Raven interjects as her hand dropped from where it smacked Raziel's head. She saw him glare at her to which she simply raised an eyebrow as if to say 'Like you didn't deserve it.'

"Oh! Sorry Raz, I've kinda been out of the loop for a bit," the girl chuckles nervously, wondering if the Titans were weirder than she gave them credit for. "By the way, I'm Ta...Terra!" Terra holds out a hand but before anyone could shake it Starfire had already flown up to her side and bombarded her with a ton of questions. Blinking in confusion, she tries to remember the order in which they were asked as it was like listening to a kid on a sugar rush. "Errr...Earth, walking, red, and...yes?" She immediately regretted the last answer as Starfire grabbed her in a bone crushing hug. "Air...!"

"I am sorry, friend Terra! I was too overjoyed at making a new friend," Starfire apologizes, bowing deeply towards the twitching girl.

"Not a problem," she groans back, rubbing her sore arms as she tried to get some circulation back in them, mentally making a note to avoid any more hugs from the girl.

Raven watched idly as Beastboy started flirting with the newcomer. She hadn't expected her to be the one causing the earthquakes and now that she was up close something about her just seemed familiar, especially when she started using her powers. Raziel seemed to sense something off too as his eyes narrowed slightly at Terra. "Everything ok, Raziel?" she asks. Raziel seemed distracted as he nearly missed her question but he appeared to recover quickly enough. Why was he paying so much attention to her?

"It's nothing," he answers back. "I just thought she seemed familiar."

"Not another 'friend' like Jen?" she asks in half-jest. Raziel's eyes widened noticeably at the comment to which Raven had to suppress a frown; she had better _not_ be someone like Jen. She blinked at the uncharacteristic thought and immediately quashed it like a bug. "Anyway, you're not the only one. Something about her just seems familiar...like I should know her. You sure you don't feel anything off about her?"

Raziel shook his head as Terra was dragged off by Cyborg and Starfire towards Titans tower. "No, nothing evil if that's what you mean. She's still hiding something, though. No one in their right mind is that cheery."

"I know," Raven confirms. "It's like she's forcing herself to look happy. In any case, we should keep an eye on her for now. At the very least, I think we found the source of our little quakes." Raziel seemed to accept her conclusion and heads off after the rest of the team. She starts to follow but had to stop as Raziel suddenly froze mid-stride, nearly causing her to walk face-first into him. "At least give me some warning if you're going to brake that suddenly," she growls. Her mood immediately changes as she noticed him staring off at a canyon wall. "What's wrong?" Following his gaze, all she could see was the canyon wall but she had learned to trust his instincts when it came to these things.

"I'm not sure. I thought I saw something," he answers, eyes narrowing at a little crevice. "Must be my imagination," he finally adds after shaking his head.

Looking at the spot where Raziel was staring at, Raven couldn't help but feel something was very wrong but couldn't quite place her finger on it.

T-T-T

Back at the Tower, Raziel had to be careful not to be too obvious in his observations of the girl. If people caught him staring they would have found him a hypocrite for being so cautious around her, given his own situation. In truth he had his reasons, just not ones he was willing to share. Still, it wasn't until now that he regretted watching her as he wasn't sure if he should be disgusted or impressed; the girl could certainly pack away food but he wasn't sure where it was all going. Turning to Raven, he saw her punching some numbers in a calculator before sighing to herself. _'That's right...it's her turn to restock the fridge,'_ he realized, and Terra just made a huge dent in the budget. Sure the city paid for it but it made sense not to abuse their generosity. Raven's eyes suddenly widened as she stared at something behind him. His instincts told him not to look but curiosity killed the proverbial common sense as he turned around.

"Might you partake of my homemade glorp?" Starfire's cheery voice asks as she floated in with a giant plate of what he assumed to be Tamaranian Jell-O; if jell-o had floating bits of...matter inside it. From the combined yells of the rest of the team, it apparently wasn't something he should try, even with his enhanced constitution.

"I'm guessing that was something she made before I joined the team," he whispers to Raven who nods weakly.

"You have no idea how lucky you are she never tried to feed it to you."

Turning back to Terra, he blinked in surprise as the plate was already bare; the girl letting out a loud burp as she handed the plate back to Starfire.

"Mmm…tastes like sushi mixed with ice cream. Got any more?"

Much later, after the fridge had been emptied by the walking disposal unit, Raziel walked by the bathroom as the nausea from watching Terra eat Starfire's food finally caught up with him. And he thought _he _had a strong constitution. He figured Terra would be sleeping off the food by now so he entered the bathroom without thinking, his eyes landing on a wet and naked blonde. Granted she was still in the tub and that he couldn't see anything below her shoulders due to the sheer amount of mud on her, he still froze on the spot as male hormones kicked in.

"AAAAAAAAHHH!"

"Terra! What's wrong?" Beastboy asks as he ran from around the corner to the girl. Unfortunately, he also stuck his head somewhere where it didn't belong and felt himself slam into the wall outside and into a mud pack. Hearing a groan beside him, he turns his eye towards the source and saw Raziel stuck in the same mud pack.

"Accidentally walked in too?" Raziel asks rhetorically, earning him a nod from the green teen. A soft tapping to their side catches their attention which unfortunately turned out to be the last person they wanted to see.

"Now this, I have to hear," Raven states dryly as she crossed her arms across her chest, her foot tapping impatiently on the floor.

Given that they were stuck in the now solidified mud and couldn't run, the two boys could only pray to whatever gods were listening that Raven killed them quickly.

T-T-T

In a place not a place yet still a place (which confused even the entity), it sneezed even though it had no nose to speak of. It thought it heard someone praying to it but dismissed it as its imagination. It had more important things to think of.

T-T-T

Thankfully, Raven had accepted their explanation about having walked in by mistake (Raziel's more than Beastboy's, judging from the way she raised her eyebrows at the changeling's excuse) and decided not to kill them that day. As he turned to leave, he swore Raven was mumbling about how no one ever walked in on her; or was it no one ever walked on her and left alive? He really couldn't tell. Returning to the main hall, he saw the rest of the Titans already there with a sleeping Terra. She was dressed only in a bathrobe and sprawled comically over the couch. Apparently she had made herself at home as to the side she had hung her clothes; a t-shirt, shorts, a pair of gloves and socks, and her...apparently she only had one set of clothes.

"Guess it's been a while since she's had a place to crash," Beastboy notes sadly.

"Speaking of which, have you found anything on the missing person's database?" Raziel asks Robin, trying to ignore the cotton...things...hung out to dry.

"No. That's the weird thing. There's absolutely nothing about her. If she's a runaway, then either she's new or not from around these parts." Even Robin's normally stoic expression softened as he watched the sleeping girl. "In any case, I don't think it's a place to crash that she really needs."

"She needs a home," Starfire completes.

Raziel had to smile a little at Starfire's statement; she did the same thing when she found out he had no place to go all those months ago.

"Well, can't she stay with us, then?" Beastboy asks. "I mean, the Tower's practically empty and we're only six people here."

"I don't know..." Raven interjects with a look of contemplation on her face.

"Aw, c'mon, Rae!"

Raven glares at Beastboy who flinched under her gaze. "As I was saying, I don't know if she's cut out to be a Titan. I know she took out that scorpion but how good is she really? Raziel's proven himself already so I want to be sure she won't be in over her head."

Everyone looked at Raven with wide eyes. That she was actually worried about someone outside the team was shocking to them. For Raziel, it actually felt good to hear Raven's outright admittance that she accepted him into the team. Raven herself blushed at all the attention but kept silent as she turned with a huff; her image was ruined enough as it was.

"I guess we'll have to find out tomorrow. We can have her run the obstacle course for tomorrow's training." Robin noticed Raziel eyeing him curiously so he turned to face the pale teen with a look of his own. "What's wrong?"

"We have an obstacle course?"

T-T-T

Raziel woke up with a start as he felt something calling him, or more specifically calling out to his power. It was faint but whatever it was it was enough to wake him from his slumber. Glancing at the clock at his bedside, he grumbled at being awoken at such an ungodly hour. Extending his senses, he blinks in surprise as the power source was just outside the building. Getting out of his warm bed, he puts on a pair of sweats and heads outside. Upon leaving the building, his enhanced hearing could hear a pair of voices talking by the shoreline.

"So I'm guessing the couch was too lumpy?"

Raziel gave a sigh as this was really something he didn't need to see; wherever the power source was, it was gone now. Turning to leave, he barely took two steps when he felt the power he was sensing flare up once more. Whirling around, he saw Terra's eyes glowing yellow she propelled the stone Beastboy was sitting on skyward. After that brief surge, the power literally vanished from his senses. _'It's her!'_ he realized. He wasn't able to recognize her power in the canyon because he was too focused on tracking the sound of the rumbling. Now that she used it right in front of him there was no mistaking it; it was her powers that was calling out to his Reaver. Moving to confront the girl, he heard Terra's desperate plea to Beastboy, the frantic tone of her voice made him decide that he would confront her tomorrow instead, silently heading back to the tower and wondering when he had gotten soft.

T-T-T

"BOOYAH! New course record!" Cyborg cheers as he cleared the obstacle course.

"Well, yeah. You're the only one who's run it so far," Raven deadpans.

Robin, who was already resetting the course, gave one final check before giving a thumbs up. "Ok, Raziel. Your turn."

"Pffft. It doesn't look so hard," Raziel interrupts as he stepped up to the starting point.

Raven eyed him curiously at his unusual bravado. She turns to Robin who shrugged and gave Raziel the go-ahead signal. Seeing as that Robin saw nothing wrong with it, she looks back at Raziel and was surprised to see Terra suddenly freeze up as he walked past her. She could sense some fear radiating off the girl but she wasn't sure why. Her musing was cut short as Robin called out to the pale boy.

"Are you sure about this? Want me to set it on easy?" Robin taunts.

"Surprise me," Raziel shouts back from down on the field.

"Course starts in 3...2...1…go!"

A cloud of dust was all that Raziel left behind as he started his run through the obstacle course, wondering what combination Robin would use against him. He hoped he that by starting the course first, Terra would be able to sense his own power; he had a hunch she would. Unlike Cyborg's run, the giant fists came out in a different pattern which surprised him; only for a little bit, however as his superhuman reflexes kicked in. Still, one of them came up surprisingly faster than the rest and nearly hit him but for some reason it seemed to slow down all of a sudden. Dodging the now lethargic-moving arm, it suddenly sped up again but he was long past where it was aiming for.

From her vantage point, Raven saw Raziel seemingly vanish from the front of the giant fist only to reappear out of harms way. Everyone else seemed to miss it from their location but she knew what she saw; just how many abilities was Raziel hiding, anyway?

Reaching the section with the laser turrets, Raziel summoned the Reaver into existence, the pale blue energy coiling around his arm seemingly in anticipation. As he didn't have Cyborg's 'natural' armor he rushed through as fast as he could, using the Reaver to block whatever lasers he couldn't dodge (which to his surprise, actually worked).

The dropping gates were child's play compared to what he had gone through already; it was a simple matter of being faster than the steel gates. The final course, the explosive disks, was a bit harder as he couldn't really use the Reaver to slice through them without triggering the detonation. Instead, he used his telekinetic attacks which only managed to destroy less than half of the targets; the rest he had to frantically dodge. As he crossed the finish line, he was already breathing heavily with the amount of energy he had expended on his run. Looking at the clock, he saw that he hadn't beat Cyborg's time and had to frown slightly at his performance.

"Dude, that was so Jedi-like with the 'whoosh!' and the 'vmmm!' and the..."

Raziel gave a smirk but had already tuned out Beastboy's spiel, his gaze focused on Terra as they locked eyes, the girl flinching slightly at his gaze. She nodded hesitantly as she understood what was to follow.

Putting on her goggles, Terra felt her nervousness increase as she had a fair idea of what Raziel wanted to talk about. If she backed out now, then more people would find out about her control problem and she didn't want that to happen. _'Gotta stay in control...stay in control,'_ she chants like a mantra to herself. Levitating the ground she was standing on like a platform, she takes a deep breath and charges forward.

T-T-T

Suffice to say, her run felt horrible. She couldn't keep her thoughts off Raziel's statement as she flew all over the place. It was only sheer luck that she managed to get through unscathed. Too bad the same couldn't be said for the course itself.

"I think we'll need a new obstacle course," Raven commented in her usual monotone.

Terra had to blush in embarrassment as she looked at her handiwork. It really looked like a tornado had gone through the area with all that she wrecked. Still, Starfire and Beastboy's cheers uplifted her spirits as they congratulated her on a job well done. Smiling at the two, her spirits dampened as she noticed Raziel standing a bit behind them with a serious look on his face. He motioned off to the side before walking off. _'Guess I should get this over with,'_ she thinks morosely. After a few more congratulatory praises, she excuse herself to go to the bathroom, making her way to the other side of the island where she found Raziel waiting for her. "Well, I'm here," she starts, trying to hide the apprehension in her voice. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I saw you use your powers last night," Raziel answered as he turned to face the girl. Before he could get in another word she had grabbed his shoulders in an almost desperate lunge.

"How much did you hear? Please don't tell anyone! They can't know!" she pleaded, a look of panic on her face. _'How did he sneak up on me? It shouldn't be possible!'_ her mind argued. For a brief moment, she thought Beastboy had broken their promise and began to grow angry at the green changeling.

Sensing her anger just made Raziel react the same way as he pushed the panicked girl off him. "First of all, I don't care about your control problem. If you don't want to tell the rest of the team, that's your business." That bought him a few moments as Terra suddenly became confused at the situation. However, it was short-lived.

"Wha...huh? Then why did you call me out? Why go through all that 'mysterious statement' and make me worry the crap out of myself?" Terra growls, grabbing Raziel by his scarf.

"I was being _nice_ about it. Unless you wanted the rest of the team to hear our conversation. I could always call them over now."

The two stared each other down for several seconds, neither budging from their stance. If one were standing there with them, they would have been able to cut the tension with a knife. Just when Raziel thought the whole thing was more trouble than it was worth, Terra finally backed down with a huff, crossing her arms across her chest while turning away from him.

"Fine. What do you want to know?" she asks, missing the smirk of victory on Raziel's face.

"I need to know more about your powers, more specifically, how did you get them? It's...important I know how."

Terra had to blink in confusion at the question. Usually people would ask her how her powers worked or what she could do with it or even questions like did she cause 'this or that' disaster. This was the first time she was asked where they came from. "Honestly, I don't know," she answers. "I've had them for as long as I can remember." Her expression turns melancholy as memories she'd rather forget started coming to the surface. "Why _are_ you interested in my powers, anyway?" Turning back to face Raziel, she saw that he had already started walking away from her. "Hey! I'm talking to you!"

Raziel was deep in thought as he had come to the conclusion that she was the one he was looking for. Before he could ponder his next actions he suddenly felt himself falling on his back as his scarf was yanked from behind.

"I said I'm talking to you!" Terra growled as she pulled on Raziel. The guy simply infuriated her and as she was about to rip him a new one, his belt started beeping, a blinking light flashing steadily on the buckle. "Ok, why are you blinking?"

T-T-T

"So what's the situation?" Raziel asks entered the main hall with Terra. Beastboy and Raven were giving him twin glares for some reason (which he ignored as usual) as Robin brought up the main screen.

"It's Slade...he's back." Robin clenched his fist in anger and trepidation as his blood began to boil in anticipation.

As Beastboy explained who Slade was, Raziel felt Raven move next to him, the glare still in her eyes.

"So what did you talk with Terra about?" she asks nonchalantly. "And don't try to hide it. You both were missing."

"Maybe it was just coincidence we weren't there?" he answers jokingly. Her raised eyebrow, of course, spoke volumes about what she thought about the joke. "Nothing really. I just needed her far enough from everyone else so that I could get a good feel of her," he answers. While he didn't relish lying to Raven, he really didn't find anything new that their resident empath didn't already know. It looked like Raven didn't believe him though, as she grabbed his ear and pulled him towards the door.

"Right...and I'm the bluebird of happiness. If you don't want to tell me, fine but next time be honest about it."

Terra watched with curiosity as Raziel was dragged off by Raven. It was really funny to watch him of all people act so...relaxed around the girl. The apparent closeness of the two made her feel so very much alone; the feeling enhanced even more so when the rest of the Titans headed out after Slade. To her surprise and delight, Beastboy turned around and called out to her.

"Hey! Are you coming or what? We need all the super heroes we can get!"

T-T-T

Throwing a punch at one of Slade's androids, Raziel felt a strange sense of gratification as his fist tore through the thing's gut. The android's companions, sensing one of their brethren fall, turned towards the new threat and started firing their laser weapons at him. Grinning beneath his scarf, Raziel took a page out of his obstacle course run earlier and summoned the Reaver, using the phantom blade to block the rain of laser fire. Turning to the rest of his team, he saw them each hold their own against the army of robots. Something felt off about the whole raid though. The sheer number that he saw was more than Slade had ever sent; even for a location like a mine, they seemed to be more concerned with causing chaos than any actual target. Come to think of it, he never really asked Robin what was so important about this particular mine. He began to think that Robin didn't really care _what_ Slade was interested in; just that Slade was there.

A stray shot striking an overhanging crate catches his attention, a pair of frightened miners screaming as the crate started its fatal fall. Pushing his body as fast as it would move, he tackles the men just as the crate smashed into the ground, the loud crash echoing in the cavernous tunnels of the mine. Letting out a sigh of relief, he turns to the miners who were still frozen with shock. "Hey, what do you guys mine here?" he asks.

"Uh...uh...it's a diamond mine," one of them stammers.

'_Diamonds? What would Slade need with diamonds?'_ Aside from the obvious monetary value, he hadn't figured Slade for a simple thief; there had to be a deeper reason for it. Filing away the question for later, he whirls around as another barrage of laser fire rains down on him, the Reaver flashing brightly as he blocked the incoming attacks. "Get out of her now! I'll cover your rear." The miners nod gratefully and hightail it out of the cavern, leaving him to finally concentrate on the task at hand. Gutting yet another of Slade's mechanical minions, he finally noticed something amidst all the chaos...none of the Titans actually had a chance to watch each other's back for more than a few moments. _'They're splitting us up...but why? They've never acted this concerted before.'_ He barely finished the thought when Raven landed behind him, raising a dark shield that blocked a hail of lasers from turning him into Swiss cheese. "Thanks," he calls out to the girl, silently berating himself for getting distracted.

Raven nodded at him and returned to the air, now turning her attention to Cyborg who was having difficulty with a giant drill. It looked like the number of androids was finally diminishing as the rest of the Titans literally blew away their opponents. Cyborg, Beastboy, Robin, and Starfire were all looking winded but otherwise uninjured.

'_Wait...where's Terra?'_ The girl was holding her own last he saw and was easily taking on several of the 'Slade-bots.' As if to answer his question, he felt her familiar power flare up down one of the cavern's corridors. However, unlike last night, this spike was wild and uncontrolled as the whole mine shook violently. It was followed by a scream of fear as he heard a tunnel collapse.

"BEASTBOY!!"

Raziel's form blurred as he pushed himself to move faster than the eye could follow, the ethereal trail of the Reaver the only trace that he had actually moved as the androids he was fighting broke apart into several chunks. Beastboy may have been irritating but he was still a teammate and friend. Rushing to the collapsed entrance, the looks on the other Titans told him all he needed to know. Drawing back his sword arm, he prepares to slice through the rubble when an arm immediately hooked his own, stopping him mid-slice. Turning to glare at the person, his expression grew confused at the person who stopped him. "Raven."

"We're not sure how stable the entrance is after that collapse. Besides, Beastboy could be under the rock you slice."

Raziel paused as Raven's words sunk in, nodding in agreement while eyeing the collapsed tunnel. "Then I guess we have to think of something else." Moving beside the rubble, he blinked in surprise as his senses told him nothing was underneath. However, his senses were also telling him something else. "Raven, could you come over here?" he calls out.

Raven moves to Raziel's side, curious as to what his reason was. Her eyes widened as Raziel grabbed her hand, the Reaver changing to its dark incarnation as it siphoned off some of her power. As she was about to protest, she could see him smirking beneath his scarf with that damnable grin of his.

"I need to borrow you for a while."

She feels her face flush slightly as Raziel gripped her hand lightly but that gave way to shock as he jabbed his sword into the ground.

The Titans backed off as the rocks exploded outward, clearing the tunnel entrance of all debris. In its place was a wall of dark energy Raven yanked her hand back and gave Raziel an angry glare. "What the hell did you do that for?"

As if to answer her question, a shockwave of energy rocked slammed into Raziel's makeshift shield. She had to push down her surprise that he was able to sense it way before any of them did.

"_That_ is why I did it," Raziel answers without much emotion. He barely got to finish his sentence when the whole mine started shaking violently. He feels Raven glare at him which he returns in kind. "What? _That's_ not my fault." The girl seemed skeptical at his answer but accepted it nonetheless. Turning her gaze skyward she projected a shield over their heads as several rocks started falling from the ceiling.

"We need to get out of here." The statement brooked no argument as the shield started quivering under the constant barrage.

"Yeah! Slade's tryin' to bring down the whole mine on our heads!"

Raziel noticed Robin's eyes narrow at that statement. He could see the wheels turning in the young detective's head and knew that they were thinking the same thing; it wasn't Slade causing the cave-in. If Robin figured it out, it wouldn't be long before the rest of the team knew about Terra's little control problem. That would drive Terra away and he couldn't allow that; not with what he knew.

"But what about Beastboy and Terra?" Starfire asks worriedly. "I cannot find them anywhere."

"He's a Titan," Raziel answers, halting the Tamaranian's tirade. "This won't stop him _or_ Terra. But for now, Raven's right. We need to move. The miners' safety comes first." He saw Robin's miffed expression at being ordered but both of them knew he spoke the truth. As much as they wanted to search for their teammate, they had to be sure the civilians made it out safely.

"Titans, go!" Robin calls out, giving one last look down the dark tunnel as they made their way outside. True enough, there were a few panicked miners huddled along the tunnel walls. They helped them to the exit even as the quake seemed to intensify, large cracks already appearing all around them. Raven and Raziel started using their telekinesis to ward off any falling debris as they rushed to escape the collapsing mine.

Luckily for them, the miners they encountered along the way were the only ones who had gotten left behind in the initial panic, the rest of the mining team were already outside waiting for the whole fiasco to blow over.

Raziel turned around as the vibrations got steadily worse, his senses on full alert as he felt Terra's energy reach a plateau. Just when he thought the whole mine would collapse, the vibrations just stopped almost as abruptly as they came. He tries to sense Terra's power but given the cease in the quake she had most likely reined them in. His concentration was broken however by the coughing of the person beside him.

Ahem "I think you can let go now," Raven deadpans, raising the hand that Raziel still held. A part of her didn't really want to say that but she forcefully bludgeoned the offending voice to the core of her being; after all she had an image to maintain, at least that's what she kept telling herself. Still, she watched with an amused (albeit hidden) smirk as Raziel let go of her hand with a flustered apology. She couldn't help but look at her hand as she felt the warmth dissipate. Turning her gaze back to the mining tunnel, she squinted as two figures could be seen walking out.

"Beastboy! Terra!" Starfire called out as she rushed to embrace her two friends. The rest of the Titans followed after the tearful Tamaranian, all of them relieved that the two had gotten out unscathed. Raziel, however, noticed the air of uneasiness around Terra even as she projected the same happy mask she wore when she first came to the tower. Something told him this wouldn't turn out well. He had to take action.

T-T-T

True enough, Terra blew up at Beastboy, accusing him of blabbing her secret to Robin. Ironic really, as Robin had just offered her a place with the Titans. Raven was unusually concerned about Terra as she told him what had just happened.

"I still don't know how you knew, but you were right. Terra's left the Tower and probably headed your way. If you're planning something you'd better do it soon. I don't think I can stand waterworks Beastboy any longer," Raven deadpanned, the sound of wailing coming in through the comm. channel.

Truth be told, he had other reasons for not letting Terra out of his sight but he wasn't telling Raven that. Instead he told her of his plan to try to talk her out of leaving, 'cutting her off at the pass' so to speak. Since he had to get there before Terra, Raven hesitantly agreed to let him go and simply not tell the rest of the team where he was. Still, her scowling face on the communicator meant that she still thought he was off his rocker.

"Don't worry," he responds. "I've got it covered." He saw Raven nod almost imperceptibly at him before cutting communications. With that, he closed the communicator and looked around at the area. _'Now to see if she's as predicable as I hope she is.'_ He didn't have to wait long as the sound of rapid footfalls drifted up to his ears. Looking down from his perch, he saw a familiar blonde running like her life depended on it.

At the canyon floor, tears streamed down Terra's cheeks as she ran as fast as her legs could carry her. _'How could he?!'_ she screamed inside. She had given her trust to Beastboy, something that she didn't give out all that easily, but he threw it back in her face. Her vision blurry, she didn't notice the rocks littering her path and tripped spectacularly on one of them, scraping her knee in the process. Curling up in a fetal position, she sobs loudly and missed the soft footfall behind her. It was only when that person took a step that she actually felt the vibrations then. Whirling around, her eyes narrowed as she recognized the masked figure before her. "You," she growls.

Raziel raised an eyebrow at the vehemence in the girl's voice but thought little of it. "Yes, me," he answers with his typical smirk. "I had a feeling you'd head this way. To take a line from Beastboy, what's a 'cool chick' like you doing in a canyon like this?"

"As if you wouldn't know. You told them too, didn't you?" Her eyes began to glow with energy as dozens of rocks floated into the air. With a pained shout, she launched the rocks at the boy.

Raziel hastily activated the Reaver, using the spiritual blade to slice through the rain of stones. Luckily for him they weren't too many as the few that did get through his defense cut his skin like razors. He felt a brief surge of anger at the girl for attacking him but as he didn't want to antagonize her he took a calming breath. She was acting irrational now so one of them had to have a level head. "I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'm not here to fight you."

"Well, tough! You should have thought about that _before_ you told everyone!" Terra's hands began to glow with the same yellow energy in her eyes as she slammed her palms onto the ground causing a pillar of stone to shoot out and slam into Raziel. The force knocked him several meters back and into a canyon wall with a terrific crash. Terra momentarily felt a little guilt and worry that she might have gravely injured Raziel but those thoughts were quickly quashed by her anger. As she starts to walk away from the scene, she heard the rubble slowly crumble away followed by a series of coughs.

"You know," Raziel starts to drone as he shook the cobwebs from his head. "All I was planning to do was ask you not to leave the city but since you _asked _so nicely..." Raziel swung the Reaver to the side, the phantom blade seemingly howling with power as he stared down the blonde geomancer. For a few moments, neither of them made a move but as a loose rock fell down the cliff the whole place erupted in chaos.

Raziel had launched himself at breakneck speed, a small cloud of dust kicking up in his wake as he opened up with a haymaker; after all he didn't feel the need to kill her...yet. To his surprise, a wall of stone shot up in front of her. Given that he was pulling his punches, his fist barely penetrated the rocky surface. Sensing a tremor beneath him, he immediately stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding a stone pillar as it shot up from where he was standing. _'She's got a lot more control than she realizes,'_ Raziel thought briefly as he raised his sword in a defensive position. "It looks like I don't need to hold back," he states to the girl.

Terra herself was no longer listening as her reasoning was overridden by her emotions. She moves her arms in a scooping motion which causes several large boulders to burst out of the ground. Her eyes glowing with power, she fires them at Raziel but the teen just slashed them apart with his sword. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she summons a floating platform to get some range over him. Now several stories above the boy, she stretched out her arms and let out an angry shout.

"Just shut up and die!"

Down on the ground, Raziel began to stumble as the ground started shaking violently. At first he thought Terra lost control of her powers again but the determined look in her eyes said otherwise. He couldn't pinpoint where she was going to attack from since her power now saturated the area; it was so stifling it almost felt like the walls were closing in. _'No, wait, they _are _closing in!'_ he realized as the canyon walls shook violently. On instinct, he summoned the Reaver's power just as the earth answered Terra's call.

Clapping her hands together, the canyon walls violently smashed together, the shockwave sending up clouds of dirt that obscured the whole area. As the rumblings subsided, the rage that she had felt earlier had subsided and was replaced with a cold emptiness. Upon realizing what she did she felt no elation whatsoever. Rushing to land, she places a hand on the ground and tries to feel for any trace of Raziel's presence and felt herself grow sick as she couldn't feel anything at all. "No...it's not my fault..." Terra took several frightened steps backwards from her handiwork, her mind in shock at what she had just done that she didn't notice the dust cloud suddenly part as a black blade of energy pierced the cloud.

"TERRA!!" Raziel shouted as he rode the dark pillar of energy towards the girl. It was only sheer chance that he remembered to use that power to create a wall around him as the canyon caved in on itself. When Terra failed to follow up on the attack, he took the initiative and propelled himself using the dark Reaver to create a moving bridge. Truth be told, it took all his power just shielding himself from the attack and he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep the dark energy materialized. Sensing the direction Terra was in, he had propelled himself through the convenient dust cloud for an all-or-nothing assault.

Terra's eyes widened in fear as she saw the blade head towards her. Reacting on instinct, she raised a hand to summon another barrage of rocks but Raziel was moving faster than she could, his free hand grabbing her own as he tackled her to the ground. Her eyes remained fixed on the dark blade as he drew it back for the fatal thrust. She felt the killing intent radiating from the boy and screamed as she felt the blade thrust into her head.

Raziel was shaken out of his rage-induced assault as he heard Terra scream. After crashing into the girl, he had leveled the sword at her head and given her a glare. Unknownst to him he had just given her his unfiltered killing intent which broke her mind. As such, Terra was now thrashing about frantically, her eyes glowing brightly as he felt her powers go out of control. Worried, he looked around to see if the whole canyon would be destroyed but instead of the mass destruction he was expecting he felt a surge of energy flowing up his left arm. Looking at his hand, he saw that it was still grasping Terra's and realized that like Raven, he was absorbing her wild energies, preventing the catastrophic release of her powers. Dismissing the Reaver, he fails to notice the now greenish tinge it had taken as before it vanished, using the free arm to slap Terra across her face and hopefully snap her out of her stupor.

Terra's screams stopped as she felt the stinging sensation on her cheek, her hand rising up to the injured flesh in reflex. As her mind started to clear, she finally noticed Raziel seated on top of her. At another place and time, she might have gotten angry at the situation but when she felt her powers running wild her eyes grew wide with fear. _'No! Not now!'_ she thought frantically. "Raziel, let me go! You don't know what I can do!" she cried out as she tried to get her powers under control. She couldn't believe how calm his face looked and could swear he was smirking beneath his scarf. Clenching her eyes shut, she waited for the inevitable destruction that followed every time she lost control. However, Raziel started chuckling which caused her to crack open an eye. To her surprise, there was neither the destruction nor even the slightest tremor in the area. It was enough to make her gape in confusion.

Sensing the confusion on the girl's face, Raziel raised the hand that he was holding, smirking as a faint trail of golden energy continued to flow from Terra's hand to his own. "Now, perhaps, you'll calm down and tell me exactly what I _told_ them," he deadpanned.

Terra felt her face flush from both the embarrassment of losing and from recalling her anger at being betrayed by Beastboy. With her powers somehow neutralized, she wasn't in danger of losing control but then again she also couldn't defend herself if Raziel decided to press his advantage. Frowning, she hesitantly recounted what happened when she ran from the tower. As she finished her tale, she half-expected Raziel to start defending himself and the green changeling but instead he began laughing his head off.  
"What's so funny?!" she yells, angry that someone was finding her situation funny.

Raziel wiped the tears from his eyes as he struggled to stop the laughter. "That...was the absolutely most illogical conclusion I've ever heard," he manages to say. "You do know Robin's been trained by the 'World's Greatest Detective,' right?" he adds with a smirk. He could almost see a light bulb go off in her head as she suddenly couldn't look in him the eye. "Ah, I see someone's made the connection. Beastboy may be an idiot but he's loyal idiot."

A sense of shame washed over Terra as she realized her folly. She was really so used to running from everything because of her power that she had forgotten how to trust people; she didn't even give Beastboy a chance to explain. She started to get depressed when she finally realized the awkward position she was in under Raziel. "Ummm, can you...like...get off me now?" she asks, trying to ignore that there was an obviously well-toned _male_ body lying on top of her in a compromising position.

"Are you _sure_ you're done trying to kill me, now?" Raziel counters, oblivious really to her predicament as he was more focused on staying alive. When she gave a weak nod, he rolled off her while still holding on to her right hand as she was still putting out a lot of energy. Strangely enough, it wasn't anywhere near the amount Raven put out so he could safely channel the power without any harm to himself. He noticed she was eyeing their joined hands with a mixture of shock and what seemed to be no small amount of trepidation.

"How...how are you doing that?" she asks haltingly. It was the first time in her life that her powers weren't causing any destruction or chaos. She could still feel the chaotic energies inside her but somehow Raziel was holding them at bay.

Raziel flinched as he saw tears brimming in Terra's eyes. It wasn't as effective as Starfire's Puppy-eyed Stare™ but it did the job well enough. "I can't really explain," he answers, causing Terra's mood to dampen slightly. "Not won't," he clarified. "Can't. It's just something I can do." He purposedly left out the fact that he did the same for Raven once; after all it wasn't his place to tell.

Terra nodded dully as she stared at the ground; Raziel appeared to be nothing more than a temporary reprieve from her waking nightmare. It was then that a thought made its way to her head, her gaze falling on the pale teen who was looking at her hand curiously.

"What?" Raziel asks as he noticed the girl staring at him. Again. He had to flinch as _now_ she was using the Puppy-eyed Stare™; he had enough trouble saying no to Starfire whenever she tried that on him.

"Can...would...do you think you could come with me?" Terra asks. She saw the look of 'what weed are you smoking' on the boy's face but immediately waved her free hand in a negative manner. "No, no, no! I mean...can you just...y'know...tag along?" The girl lets out a tired sigh, one that seemed to reflect the number of years that hadn't been kind to her. "It gets kinda lonely when you're always on the move," she says sadly. "I thought...maybe if you'd come with me then..."

"Who says you have to be on the move?" he asks in return. Once more seeing hesitation in her eyes he decided to elaborate. "You can't keep running forever. One day, you'll have to face this problem head on. Don't you think it would be better if you had friends to help? I know at least one person that would be more than happy to have you come back," Raziel adds. To his surprise, she seemed to be deep in thought at that last statement before her eyes widened, a blush creeping onto her cheeks as she lowered her head in embarrassment. Sighing at her naivety, he had to roll his eyes at having to explain every little thing to the girl. Speaking of which, he no longer felt the wild energies from the girl so he released his hold on her, happy to finally get his hand back.

As soon as he let go, the embarrassed look on Terra's face was replaced with one of panic as she frantically searched for any signs of chaos. "Ohmygodohmygodohmy...!"

CLONK

"Your powers seem to have subsided so there's no need to worry," he comments dryly as he removed his fist from her head. Pulling himself up to his full height, he dusts himself off before holding out a hand towards Terra who looked at it strangely. "Now, if you're done moping about, I believe there's a plate of Starfire's shudder glorp waiting with your name on it."

Terra looked hesitantly at the hand offered to her while rubbing her sore head. She didn't really appreciate the bonk on the head but Raziel was giving her a tempting offer; a warm place to stay, people to talk to, a home. For the first time in her life Terra felt a genuine smile come to her face as she reached for the offered hand. However, things rarely worked out as intended as she heard a chilling voice speak from somewhere in the canyon.

"You should have just kept running, Terra. Do you really think they can help you with your problem once they find out what you've done? Only _I_ can give you the guidance you need."

Raziel's eyes widened as he searched for the source of the voice. Even with his enhanced hearing he couldn't tell where the voice was coming from. However, he would never forget the voice of the person that had nearly killed Raven. "Show yourself, Slade," he growls. "Whatever 'guidance' you can offer, I'm sure she doesn't need."

"Such a temper unbecoming of a Titan. I was quite surprised you were able to fight my...new _apprentice_ to a standstill but I'm afraid I can't let you undo all the preparations I've done for this day, Raziel. After all, I saw her first. _Exequor Inservio._"

'_Exewhatsis?_' To Terra, the words sounded like Latin but having never really studied it she had no idea what it meant. What she did know was that they way he called her 'apprentice' made her feel so dirty, like she was already his. If Beastboy's description was any indication, she did not want that to happen. All of a sudden she heard footfalls barely ten feet behind her. How had he gotten so close? Whirling around, she came face-to-face with Slade, his one eye staring at her possessively which caused her to take a step. Bumping into Raziel, she wondered why he hadn't moved since Slade had shown himself. "Raziel! What are you doing?" she hissed angrily. "Call the Titans, or something."

"Why yes, Raziel. _Do_ something for our dear Tara." Slade answers arrogantly.

Terra froze at the mention of her true name. It was bad enough that he knew of her past but if he knew her real name then that meant she could be tracked; it meant she could be hunted. Her first impulse was to run but her movement was halted as a gloved hand grabbed her arm in an iron grip. "Raziel? What are you doing?" Looking at his face, she saw it filled with shock, staring at his arm like it was something else entirely. The shock was soon replaced by a look of intense concentration as his hand began to shake, a single word escaping his lips.

"Run."

T-T-T

"Friend Raven! Are you injured?" Starfire asks as she rushed into the kitchen. Inside, she saw Raven picking up the remains of a mug, the contents of which were now rapidly cooling on the floor.

"I'm fine, Star," the pale demoness answers, giving the Tamaranian a brief smile as she cleaned up her mess. If she were a superstitious person, she would have thought something bad had just happened but of course, that was just an old wives tale. Wasn't it?

- To be continued -

Aaaaaaand what a wonderful cliffhanger I've written! (or at least that's what I keep telling myself).

Enjoy the ride, because it's going to be a bumpy one! And a fist full of Omake to make up for my lack of it the last time .

**Omake:**

"Might you partake of my homemade glorp?" Starfire's cheery voice asks as she floated in with a giant plate Jell-O.

Still hungry, Terra eyed the monstrous goop briefly before shoveling the thing into her mouth, the yells of the Teen Titans ignored as she licked the plate clean. "Mmmm...sushi and chicken. Got any more?"

Starfire immediately flew off to cultivate more fungus. As she was out of earshot, the room was suddenly filled by a loud noise.

CLUNK

Raziel was the first to recover from the shock of seeing Terra fall flat on her face. Poking her shoulder, he shook his head before turning to the tearful Beastboy. "Sorry. She's dea..."

"Whoa!"

Leaping back from the now conscious (and apparently alive) Terra, Raziel wondered why it felt like imminent danger to stay close to the girl when he should be worried for her health.

"Dude! Have you seen my hands? They're _huge_," the blonde comments, her eyes somewhat glazed over as she stared at her appendages.

Oh. That was why.

"I love you, man," Terra says, hugging Raziel and placing a peck on his cheek before moving on to the other Titans who were slowly backing away from the blonde.

Raziel gave a sigh as Terra began talking about voices and fairies and pixie dust. He supposed it would fall to him to teach Starfire about picking the wrong fungus for her ingredients (although he was really curious as to how she actually acquired them).

**Omake2:**

The urge was strong, too strong. Raziel knew he had to take action soon as he felt his willpower waning. He rushed to the one place no one would think to look, he needed his privacy after all. Upon reaching his destination, he checks the surrounding area just to be sure before dashing into the bathroom. A mental image of Terra in action sent a shiver down his spine which made him take extra precautions at no one walking in, locking the door with an audible click. Thinking he was safe, he reached into his pants when he heard a splash behind him. Whirling around, he froze when he saw a wet and naked (albeit covered in bubbles) blonde staring at him shock.

"Is that a banana in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" the girl suddenly asks with a gleam in her eyes, her tongue licking her lips in anticipation.

He had to get out. Before he could turn and unlock the door, Terra had leapt out of the tub and grabbed for the thing in his pants, yanking out the long and firm prize which she held reverently with both hands. "Mine!" the girl drools possessively, a trail of drool dripping from her lips as she stuck the thing into her mouth.

"NOOOOOOO!"

The pained cry of Raziel could be heard throughout the Tower as Terra consumed the last banana, which also happened to be the last piece of edible food in the whole tower (unless you considered Starfire's glorp which really wasn't fit for human consumption). His stomach growled in protest as the fruit disappeared in the blink of an eye; _now_ what was he going to eat? (A/N: And here you thought it would be a lemon :p Not that I ever imagined the actual lemon scene...nope...not me...)

**Omake3**:

Returning to the main hall, he saw the rest of the Titans already there with Terra doing her laundry. She was dressed only in a bathrobe and humming a happy tune. Apparently she had made herself at home as to the side she had hung her clothes; a t-shirt, shorts, a pair of gloves and socks, and her...were those pairs of hand cuffs? And a ball gag? And he didn't even want to think about _why_ the cat o' nine tails was part of the laundry.

"Oh, you have one as well?" Starfire asks curiously, pointing to the object in question.

"Hmm? This old thing?" Terra answers. "Had it for years. Never really got much use out of it as people usually ran screaming after the first few dozen hits."

"That's true. Raziel's been the only one who's been able to bounce back quite quickly after a 'prep. session.'"

Raziel didn't like the gleam in the blonde's eyes as she eyed him appraisingly.

"So...he's got a lot of stamina, then?"

The twin nods (along with disturbing grins) from Starfire and Raven didn't look too appealing either; he still remembered initiation day. He turned for help from the other boys but they had already vanished, a small shrine with his face surrounded by burning prayer incense placed where they once stood. _'Those bastards!'_

"Oh, Raziel..." came Starfire's melodic call.

Raziel swallowed nervously as the memories of when she last used that tone came to mind. He turned back to see her, Raven, and Terra dressed in pink, black, and white leather corsets respectively. How the hell did they change so fast? Not that they were going to catch him as he was much faster than...

CLACK

His eyes widened as the hand cuffs, surrounded by black energy, locked shut on his wrists and ankles, pinning him to the floor.

"Didn't we already tell you last time that it's bad to run away?" Raven asks seductively before cracking a whip dangerously close to little Raziel.

T-T-T

Far away in the Hive academy, Jinx had bite back a gasp as she felt a shiver of pleasure run down her spine along with the odd sensation that she was once again missing out on something. She really needed to find out what was causing those.


	23. Two of a kind

Soul's Entwined

**Soul's Entwined**

Disclaimer: The Souls Entwined story is my own concept. All characters and references to other series are owned by their respective creators.

© 2008

Welcome to Sajuuk, Penominal22, and lord drako! Hope you guys continue to read and enjoy my story. Thanks as well to all my current readers!

**Two of a kind**

(CRASH!)

Raven knew her focus was off when two of the eight pillars she had been juggling with her powers crashed into each other. It had been several days now since Raziel ran off to follow Terra and no one really knew what was going on. He wasn't answering his comm. and his tracking beacon was either disabled or destroyed. The two of them had agreed that it would probably take a day or so to convince the geomancer it was in her best interests to stay for a while but when he took longer than that she finally told the rest of the team what had happened. No one disagreed that it was a good idea, given that the whole thing seemed to be one big misunderstanding, but Robin berated her for not telling them sooner.

"I trust Raziel," she had answered in her typical monotone but the defiance was clear in her voice. Inwardly, she knew everyone trusted him as well but his absence was clearly felt in the Tower. She wouldn't say it out loud but for her, the building seemed that much bigger now.

Placing the stone pillars back to their spot in the training room, she looks outside the window at the stereotypical afternoon sun. Once again the villains in the city were surprisingly quiet; no indication whatsoever that anyone had anything to do with her...their teammate's disappearance. Beastboy, however, seemed to have the most ridiculous idea as to why he was gone.

"Don't you see? Terra's such a cool chick that Raziel eloped with her! They're probably in Vegas now getting hitched by a fat Elvis and now they're in the motel California doing...doing..."

(WHAP!)

Raven didn't need to read his mind to know what the green changeling was thinking about; the thin line of drool was enough of a hint. Still, she stared at the hand that whacked his head, wondering what possessed her to do that even as the stinging sensation began to die down. Turning to glare at the fallen Beastboy, she shook her head at her own lack of self-control and started to leave the hall. "I'm headed out. Just call me on my communicator if you need me."

As the double doors hiss shut, Starfire had a curious expression on her face and turned to Robin with a puzzled look. "Raven is acting, what is the word, out of character?"

"Still seems the same to me," Beastboy comments, rubbing his sore head as he picked himself up from the floor, going back to his brooding over the (in his mind) now married couple.

Starfire pondered whether this was really the case as she looked back at the double doors.

T-T-T

'_Stupid, stupid, stupid,'_ Raven admonished herself as landed in a random street in the downtown core; or rather wished she could have admonished herself. As she couldn't allow such a trifle thing as emotions control her, she settled for quiet embarrassment as she walked towards her destination. In truth she didn't really have a specific destination in mind as she was still pondering her earlier actions. Beastboy's words just caused her body to react of its own volition. If she were to haphazard a guess, one of her aspects was probably annoyed at the changeling's antics and decided to act on its own. That was worrisome to say the least as she had enough trouble maintaining control over her emotions; she didn't need the added troubles of her aspects breaking loose, especially after the Doctor Light incident.

Being in such deep thought though, she failed to notice that she had started wandering around the city. Given that she was in full costume rather than in something less conspicuous, people were beginning to eye her warily as her presence usually entailed something was going to happen. The attention she drew was enough that she was shaken out of her deep thoughts; already she could tell a few children were pointing at her by their 'oooohs' and 'aaaahs'. Although quickly followed by hushed admonishments from their parents for pointing, it still unnerved her as she really disliked the attention.

Ducking into an alley to at least get some peace and quiet, to her surprise she found herself at the alley of her usual haunt, the scents of her favorite brews wafting in the air. She debated leaving as there were more important things to do than have a cup of tea. Of course, she really didn't know where to begin much less search for Raziel; her addled mind not really up to the task.

'_Oh, fine,'_ she grouches half-heartedly as she opens the door to the café, reasoning that while she needed a drink to calm her nerves (not that she wasn't calm, of course) returning to the Tower to make herself one just seemed too much trouble at the moment. As she entered the café, she immediately headed towards her 'favorite' spot in the corner. The place wasn't anything fancy or upscale so it was usually a first-come, first-served sort of thing. Strangely enough, she was always able to get that spot. It was a simple table with two chairs located in a nice and secluded corner. On it's own it didn't offer anything that afforded it the title of 'favorite'. However, it offered her much sanctuary from the rest of the crowd so it was 'prime real-estate' for her, so to speak. Of course, given she was always alone whenever she came here meant that more than a few boys always tried to talk to her. For a while, she entertained their efforts given the few that approached her shared a few of her interests. Unfortunately the law of averages meant some of them soon began trying to get into her pants (some quite more blatant than others). Those types usually found their drinks mysteriously spilled on them or their chair suddenly collapsing. When the frequency began to increase, she began glaring at anyone who dared approach, her glare having the same effect as a gale force blizzard which ensured that they didn't even try any more.

Banishing the few bad memories she had of the place, she instead focused on the real reason she kept coming back here; the tea and atmosphere. Right now, she needed something to take her mind off her missing friend and this was the only thing she could really think of could do that, even if for only a while.

Taking her seat, she looked around for a waitress while idly pondering why she felt so...unnerved by Raziel's absence. Not that Beastboy's comment had anything to do with it, of course. Now she _really_ needed that drink. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a waitress already headed her way so she picked up the menu to see if anything new caught her interest. Seeing nothing worth trying, she places down the menu while resting her head on her hands not bothering to look up at the waitress. "I'll have the Assam..." Raven's voice trailed off as something felt off about the person beside her. Looked up, her mind immediately recognized the familiar pink streaks in her hair and her pale skin. "Jen?"

'Jen' froze, recognizing the familiar monotone and slowly looked up from her order sheet. Upon seeing the blue-cloaked girl she nearly gave her usual sneer but then realized that she wasn't exactly 'on duty' so she forced the reflex down. Besides, she had promised Tabitha she would _try_ and earn and honest living and so here she was. Waiting tables wasn't exactly something she was overjoyed to do but it was the one thing she could get where the owner didn't ask for any credentials. "So what brings a Teen Titan here on a weeknight? Don't you have villains to catch or something?" she asks nervously, hoping her wig and contacts were firmly in place.

"Slow night," Raven answers dryly. She missed seeing Jen's eyes widen significantly but if she were to look inside her heads it would have been filled with 'Was that a joke?' and 'Is the world going to end?' questions. Thankfully, Raven wasn't the kind to read someone's thoughts without their permission and was more concerned with what (or rather who) staring her in the face than reading thoughts. "You're the last person I'd expected to see here. Isn't this a school night?"

The girl in question had to blush as she chuckled nervously. "Ahahaha...you see..."

-Much earlier-

"...we were successful in retrieving the object in question but failed to do so in a non-intrusive manner," Jinx explains, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice as she felt eyes bore into her. The Headmistress seemed particularly sour today and the fact that her _best_ graduates had failed a simple heist probably didn't help her mood. She had heard that they were getting a special visitor as well and hoped she hadn't botched things up too much. The seconds seemed to take forever to pass as she couldn't look the woman in the eye. Thankfully she seemed relax slightly as she gave a tired wave.

"You are dismissed, Jinx."

Jinx gave a low bow, thankful the headmistress didn't push for any more details as she briskly made her way out of the office. As the door clicked, she swore she could hear a deep voice start talking inside. It sent shivers down her spine so she decided her hide was more important than gossip and wisely went on her way. Returning to her dorm, she flopped backwards onto her bed and gave a loud sigh. Ever since that less than stellar performance against the Titans, the HIVE academy had dropped off the prestige radar; that lack of prestige translated to an uncertain future for her; if they had problems against _teen_ heroes, what more if they were pitted against larger threats like the Justice League or whatnot?

She had heard rumors of someone wanting to actually purchase the school which bode well for her and the other students (the fact that someone _did_ want to buy it spoke volumes of the person in question but she decided to ignore that fact for now).

'_Hmm, I wonder if that's who was in the room with Headmistress?'_ she wonders. Turning over in bed, she glances at the clock had to fight the urge to curse out loud; had the meeting actually taken that long? Pretending to set the alarm, she instead pushes a hidden button which caused the device flash ever so subtly. Glancing at a nondescript section of the ceiling, she gave the finger to the now disabled camera in her room. _'Gizmo may be a pervert, but the little idiot knows his stuff,_' she grins to herself (1) just before grabbing a back hidden underneath her bed. Peering inside the simple sack, she lets out a tired sigh as she wondered what possessed her to do something like this.

'_Oh right, a three-foot master of persuasion,'_ she grumbles half-heatedly as she zipped up the bag and started her trek into the city. She wasn't sure if she should be embarrassed to have been manipulated by Tabitha or proud that the girl was becoming a master at it.

-Back to the present-

"And that's the story," 'Jen' finishes as she gave a nonchalant shrug.

"...You know, the story would have been much more engaging if you had actually _said_ it out loud," Raven deadpans, suppressing the urge to strangle the waitress.

"Well, too bad for you then. I don't exactly feel like repeating myself," she grins back, enjoying the brief tick on Raven's brow. If she couldn't fight her, she could at least annoy her. "So, one Assam tea..." Pausing as she felt something was off, Jinx looked back at Raven with a pensive look. A light went off in her head as she realized what it was that was wrong with the picture. "Hey, where's Raziel?"

Raven tensed at the sudden question; how exactly was she supposed to answer that he was missing? That she hadn't heard from him for several days now and it was beginning to worry her?

Jinx noticed the unease in Raven and had to frown. Did something happen to Raziel? She hated it when she didn't have information that she wanted and usually it drove her to push the question further. "He's...ok, right? Nothing bad, or anything?" she asks, putting a bit of 'innocent concern' into her body language.

Raven was tempted to just answer as the worry was really beginning to get to her but she didn't really know how to express it. Opening her mouth to answer, she then closed it with a frown as she recalled that this girl had k...k...kissed Raziel a while back. The image still left a bad taste in her mouth given how Raziel didn't exactly seem to disapprove of her actions. Now that she thought about it a bit more, Jen was just a civilian, right? It wasn't as if she could help her anyway. "Shouldn't you be getting my tea?" she answers coolly, trying to avoid the question.

"Right..." Jinx answers. She knew a lie when she saw one (it really helped in her _other_ line of work) but knew better than to press it for now. From her last (well, only) trip to the tower, this girl really liked her tea. Maybe if she relaxed a bit she would be able to get more out of her. Walking off to the bar, she immediately changed the order a bit, adding a hint of Valerian here and a dash Chamomile there. It was just enough that it wouldn't overpower the Assam but it would hopefully get Raven to loosen her tongue if only a little. _'Hmm. Vodka seems to get people to loosen up around here,'_ she thought to herself. A shot glass or two was probably good enough. A shot glass was tiny anyway, right? (2)

Back at her seat, Raven was glad the girl didn't push for any more information. She was frustrated enough as it was without anyone reminding her. Now she _really_ needed her tea. Thankfully it arrived just as she was ready to strangle someone.

"Here's your tea," Jinx says, placing the steaming mug on the table.

Giving Jen a brief nod, Raven raised the mug to her lips, her eyes closed in anticipation of one of her favored blends. She stops as she felt something was off. Taking a whiff, an unfamiliar scent wafts up her nose which caused her to frown. Jen was watching her as well with a nervous look which caused her to raise her eyebrow. "This isn't my tea," she quips almost angrily.

"Errr...technically it's still Assam tea," Jinx answers nervously, which really _was_ true. Seeing that Raven was now looking at her skeptically she decided to elaborate-slash-lie. "I noticed you were a bit tense so I added a little Chamomile and Valerian to help you relax. It's on the house since we're still trying it out so you don't have to worry about it." _'This had better work,'_ she thought to herself. She really didn't want to cover the cost of the tea for nothing.

Raven eyed the mysterious blend warily before giving a shrug; free was free, after all, and she really needed to take her mind off her problems even if only for a few minutes. Taking a sip, she was immediately filled with a deep feeling of warmth, more so than what her usual blend gave. She took another sip, just to be sure, and felt the same feeling wash over her. The corner of her lip nearly upturned in a smile but she forced it down almost immediately. "It'll do," she answers with a huff, hoping Jen didn't notice the little faux pas before raising the mug to her lips.

Jinx, for one, was relieved when Raven finally took a sip. The girl didn't seem to detect the other extra ingredient in her concoction so all she had to do now was let nature take its course. Briskly returning to her spot in the room, she estimated about ten to fifteen minutes before asking Raven about Raziel again. However, she had barely made ten steps when she heard a loud noise from the corner.

(CLUNK!)

Turning to check what had caused it, she saw Raven face down on the table and immediately started to panic. _'Oh my god, did I kill her? I can't have killed her! It was only tea!'_ were the thoughts that ran through her head. Sure, she disliked the girl but not to this extent. Reaching out to tap the girl's cheek, she nearly screamed in fright as Raven immediately sat up with a start. She was about to let out a sigh of relief when she noticed something off with the goth, the pale girl looking at her surroundings with unusually curious eyes.

"Whoa...This is sooo cool!!"

"..." Jinx had to suppress a shudder as for some odd reason Raven now reminded her of pink fluffy ponies and pixie dust. When Raven suddenly turned to her with the same cheery expression, she was sure the world had ended as she had never seen the girl smile like that.

"Hey, you're Jen, right? Nice to meet 'cha! You know you remind me of someone but I can't remember who. I think she was a bit taller than you though...with longer hair...and bigger boobs...and..."

The girl had already grabbed her hand and was pumping it vigorously causing Jinx to wonder what the hell was going on. The normally stoic Titan was acting way out of character and there wasn't anything she could think of that... Her thoughts trailed off as her eyes fell on the unfinished mug on the table. _'Was it the...Uh oh...'_ She hadn't really expected the alcohol to affect Raven this much; maybe just get her to loosen up enough for her to ask about Raziel.

"Oh, wow. We have the same skin tone too! It's like we're related! Like cousins. Or maybe sisters! Or maybe..."

Suppressing a shudder at the thought of being even remotely related to her, she tried to push the girl off but Raven had somehow learned a glomp that would have put a clingy girlfriend to shame. Plus her mind had finally caught up to the girl's statement about the small breasts; it wasn't her fault she was a slow bloomer!

"So how long have you been working here? Is it nice? Meet lots of people? I like meeting people! It's really fun! C'mon, sit and join me!"

Once more she could barely make out what Raven was saying although she did manage to hear the offer to sit down and Jinx knew she couldn't pass up the opportunity. The lack of clients at this time of day seemed almost too perfect but she gave an internal shrug and sat down in the offered chair. All she needed to do now was to find a way to manipulate the conversation so that she could find out about Raziel.

"I'm sooo glad you're with me now. It's been lonely without Razzie to talk to. He's off who knows where following blondie and he's not answering his comm. so it's been kinda depressing at the Tower."

"..." Jinx had to fight to keep her jaw from hanging. That had been easier than she had expected; correction, it was surreal how it just happened. Although the mention of him following around some blonde hussy was setting off some warning sirens in her head as she fought to suppress the involuntary tick. "Wait...which blonde?" She didn't recall any blonde girl in the Titans and unless one of them dyed their hair blonde... She had to fight a giggle as she pictured a blonde Robin; it totally ruined his image as the Batman's protégé.

"S...stop laughing...It's not funny...He could be doing who knows what with her...all alone, just the two of them..."

"Sorry, I didn't mean..." She started to apologize out of reflex but stopped mid sentence at her second shock for the day. Jinx now saw tears coming out of Raven's eyes, her expression now looking like a kicked puppy that someone had left out on a stormy night in a dark alley in... She immediately shook the depressing thought out of her head; how Raven was doing it she had no idea but she had to put a stop to it before she actually felt sorry for the girl. Besides, finding out the identity of the blonde was more important. "Hey, hey. I'm sure nothing's going to happen. I mean, this blonde whatsername is just some ordinary girl, right?"

"Terra...The girl had better pray nothing _does_ happen. I swear, she shows up one day throwing all her fancy geomancing and..."

'_Ok, a little too freaky right there,'_ Jinx thought nervously; she didn't know Raven's eyes could glow that shade of red. Thankfully for her ears, she had started to tune out the ranting goth as curse words that would have made a sailor blush left her lips, her attention focused more on the name Terra. Not that she knew any Terra but given Raven's little tirade she knew the girl was a geomancer and apparently someone Raven seemed to dislike for some reason. On that, at least, she agreed with the Titan; no one muscled in on Raziel without a fight from her. She was interrupted from that train of thought as a steaming mug was held in front of her face.

"Drink. I don't like drinking alone."

While her eyes no longer glowed blood red, the tone brooked no argument. Jinx took the offered cup nervously, eyeing her concocted brew before looking back at Raven. She had to gulp uneasily as an expectant eyebrow raised on the goth's face. Oh well, today was a slow night any way and it wouldn't hurt, right? "Err...bottom's up?"

One sip later there were now two rather animated girls instead of just one.

"...and what do those two idiots do? They actually forget the plan and start wrecking all my hard work!" Jinx slurred, taking another sip of the 'tea' before handing it back to Raven who now appeared cheery again. "I swear, if it wasn't for the fact they grouped us together at school, I would have killed them by now."

"Awww, they can't be all that bad, Jen! Don't they have any good qualities at all?"

"Pfft. Good qualities? In _my_ school? I could probably win the lotto first before that happens," Jinx huffs, the flushing of her face clearly not caused by the tea as she gave a half-hearted scowl. "If that blond hussy thinks she can steal him from me, she's got another thing coming." Grabbing the mug (which was still barely half-empty), Jinx took a sip and felt the warmth flow through her body.

"Wh...what do you mean he's yours?"

"Well, not really..." she answers, missing the subtle change in Raven's demeanor as she was still feeling the buzz from the 'tea'. "I mean...he's just...you know... He's tall, he's actually attentive when you think about it." Jinx's voice trails off as a soft smile came to her lips. "And he also doesn't judge people. It's like he can see things that most people don't see." The smile was quickly replaced by a Cheshire grin. "The fact he's...well built doesn't hurt either," she adds, giggling as some inappropriate images came to mind. Looking at Raven, she saw the girl seem to blank out for a moment before blushing profusely. "Oh no, you did not just think of something perverted," she accused. The unusually rosy tinge on the girl's normally pale face was enough to confirm her suspicions. "Hey! Only one of us is allowed to think dirty thoughts about Raziel!"

Leaning across the table, she glared at Raven who shrank under the constant staring. The tension seemed thick enough to cut but was immediately shattered when Jinx started giggling. "What do you know, you're actually normal underneath all that doom and gloom." The girl seemed to blush even more, hastily averting her gaze and taking another swig of the tea.

"Umm...this is really good tea."

Jinx was amused at the girl's obvious attempts to change the topic. She would have been more annoyed at the fact that apparently Raven _did_ like Raziel at some level but it didn't seem so bad when she was this cheery (albeit the weird mood swings were something she'd have to ask her about some time). She would have to remember to make the same tea again, though. _'I think I'll call it Anti-Emo tea,'_ she tells herself, imagining the money she could make selling it given how well it worked on her rival. Her thoughts of wealth (one of the few that were semi-legal anyway), were interrupted by a frantic cry.

"Jen! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

Focusing her hazy vision on the approaching figure, she recognized it as Patty...or was it Phoebe? She went to school in the area, if she recalled correctly but then again she couldn't recall the exact ingredients she put in the tea so didn't put much faith in that train of thought. There was another girl beside her but the name escaped her as well. "What's wrong?" she asks, settling for a safe question without revealing she had forgotten their names.

"Master..."

"It's Maitre!" an obviously exaggerated French voice yells from the back.

"...Maitre arranged for a band that was going to perform but they called in that they're running late due to their ride breaking down. There's already a crowd that's gathered and everyone's paid for the show already and I'm so fired!"

Jinx blinked as she tried to make sense of what her co-worker was rambling about. Looking around, she _did_ see the crowd that had now gathered around the stage. She recalled hearing something about some indie band coming tonight though...Enzo? Emo? Something with an 'E'.

"Waaaah! Jen! What are we going to do?!"

It took a while for the question to sink in but something about the whole thing felt like very bad mojo...and it was rapidly causing her buzz to fade with every passing moment. She had to take action before Murphy decided to raise his ugly head. "...Wait...where's this _we_ stuff coming from? And why are you holding two guitars?"

"Maitre insisted we play a few songs to keep them occupied! He already got Beth on the drums and me on the base. We're still missing a lead guitar and a vocalist. You're my last hope, Jen!"

Given her inebriation, Jinx had to struggle to force the pathetically pleading girl off her leg; she hated it when people tried that with her as it usually worked (which was a major reason why Gizmo and Mammoth remained her teammates). "Look, even if I wanted to help, which I don't, none of us can play! What are we gonna do? Stand and look pretty?" _'Hah!'_ she thought to herself. _'Take that, bad mojo! You're not getting me this time!'_ Unfortunately for her the girl began to chuckle nervously.

"Umm...about that...you see, Beth is sort of the drummer of her own band and I kinda play bass in a choir...and I've heard you singing in the washroom so..."

Jinx flushed crimson as she hadn't realized was singing out loud those few times; she wouldn't have stolen that MP3 played a few weeks back if it was going to get her in this kind of situation. Still, she noticed one part of that statement had something she could use to keep her from performing. "Hold on. If Beth's in a band, why don't you just get her to call them in? They've got to be better than us!" she argued.

"Can't. They're all out of town on vacation," Beth answers in a bored tone, idly twirling a drumstick in her hand. "She's just lucky I don't have anything better to do tonight."

Now she didn't have an excuse not to join; that and her job was probably on the line which was probably the reason for the bad mojo she felt. _'Stupid promise. Stupid Master._'

"That's Maitre!"

She had to blink in amazement at how M...Maitre always knew when someone was even thinking about him by 'the other name'. Looking back at the blonde, a stray thought fought its way out of her inebriated mind which caused her to smirk. "Fine, I'll join your little band. But you said we still need a lead guitar. The most I can play are chords so don't even try shoving that on me." Her last ace in the hole seemed to get the blonde's to worry but that immediately changed to a pensive look. That wasn't a good thing as whenever Phoebe...or Patty...whatsername thought, it usually spelled trouble for the rest of the waitresses.

"What about her? Think she can help?"

Following the blonde's line of sight, whatever remaining buzz she had was blasted away upon realizing who she was referring to. "You do realize who you're asking, right?"

"Errr...a friend of yours?" came the naïve answer.

Jinx began to cough at being associated with Raven in such a manner. Sure, they were acting chummy and chatty and enjoying each other's company but that didn't mean they were friends! Plus she was beginning to wonder how the blonde failed to recognize who it was she was pointing at. Reaching out to strangle the girl, all she grabbed was air as the girl was already by Raven's side, latching on to her in the same pathetic manner from before.

"Can you play? Please say you can play! We'll give you free drinks for a month if you can!"

"Half off!" came the shout from the backroom.

"...Half off for a month!" the blonde amended.

Once more, Jinx didn't know how Maitre did it and had to suppress the urge to check for hidden microphones or cameras. What surprised her even more was the speculative look on Raven's face as she actually seemed to be considering the offer. _'Oh no...She wouldn't.'_

"'Any' drink?"

"Anything! Pleeeeeaaaaase just say yes!"

"All right!" came the cheery answer.

As Raven took the offered guitar, Jinx began to regret ever making that drink no matter how friendly it turned her normally fatalistic opponent. Seeing the girl struggle to simply get the strap over her head though, a worrying thought came to her mind. "You _do_ know how to play, right?"

"Nope. Not a clue. But _she_ might."

"I am so fired," was Jinx's only groan, missing the last few words from Raven as blondie dragged her backstage. She was trying to come up with an excuse for being fired for Tabitha until a lyric sheet along with a guitar was handed to her.

"Here's the song! We've got two minutes!"

"Phoe...Pat...errr...Wait! Two minutes? But you've got to know something about Raven!"

"No time! Gotta help Beth with the drums! See ya!"

The girl vanished as quickly as she had appeared, leaving Jinx cursing how her string of bad luck had begun to rear its ugly head again. _'Might as well make the most out of it,'_ she sighs before heading to the stage. _'Hmm...seems easy enough. A bit too upbeat if you ask me,'_ she thought as her eyes skimmed over the words. Someone's tapping foot behind her break her concentration and upon turning to see who it was she had to keep her jaw from hanging. Turning her guitar was Raven, her cheery expression back to the emotionless one she normally wore. That in itself wasn't all that surprising given the weird mood swings. What _was_ surprising was the blue witch's hat that adorned her head. "When did you...? What the hell is _that_?"

"It's a hat."

Given Raven had answered in her usual monotone Jinx couldn't tell if she was joking or not, but the way she said it pissed her off nonetheless. "I mean _why_ are you wearing it?"

"You should have been more specific," came the dry answer. "Given it would not do to have Raven perform in public, a suitable alter ego must be applied."

"'Alter ego'? You're not exactly inconspicuous, you know," she retorted with a sneer. Raven simply turned to her with an expressionless look. It was unnerving the way her face just stayed frozen like a mask but the way the hat sat on her head actually _did_ make her appear to be someone else. Even the way she tuned the guitar made her seem like a completely different person. _'Wait a minute...She knows how to tune it?'_

"Places everyone!"

The sudden reminder that she still had a task to do forced her to return to her reading, her earlier curiosity with Raven pushed aside as she frantically resumed memorizing the song. Jinx barely finished the sheets when the curtains began to part. _'Well, I suppose at least it means I have an excuse to give Tabitha when I'm fired,'_ she thought with a sigh as...Pat...Phoe...whatever her name was called out.

"One, two, three!"

Jinx's eyes widened in shock as Raven's fingers moved deftly over the guitar strings. Sensing magical energies, she focused her gaze and saw the girl's hands wrapped in a thin layer of dark energy. _'The little cheat's using her powers to play!'_ she thought, a tad impressed the girl had it in her. The entire crowd seemed to be impressed too, which caused her competitive streak to kick in; she wasn't about to let the Titan upstage her so she started to sing.

_With a thirsty heart, I run past you,_

_sorry that I can't do anything_

_for you won't even let me_

_not even to share our pain._

As their makeshift band continued to play, the audience, who had been expecting a vastly different group, began murmuring amongst themselves. A tapping foot here, a slight bobbing of a head there; soon several people began clapping to the beat of the song which only made the quartet play even more.

_Stop it, lying isn't like you._

_Look into my eyes and let's speak of what will be._

_I'm prepared-_

_even for a bleak future._

_Become strong and you might even be able to change fate, you know._

_Though I want my wish to be granted,_

_God knows everything..._

Caught up now in the energy of the audience (and the fact that their group was actually performing much better than she had expected), Jinx was beaming as she sang, for once enjoying something that didn't have to do with the school or her actual occupation. True, not everyone in the café seemed to enjoy the song but the emotions the song evoked from her were more than enough. Looking at Raven, she noticed the girl glancing at her mike every so often with a hopeful look. Given her good mood, she gave the girl a grin and a nod. Raven smiled back and joined in the coda.

_You and I are here,_

_While everyone else has disappeared_

_We continue to paint the beauty of this fleeting dream_

_while tracing the lines of our scars_

_That's why I'll continue to follow you._

_No matter where you are in the darkness of this bitter world_

_you will shine and exceed the limits of the future._

_My weakness will not shatter my spirit_

_my way overlaps with yours._

_For the two of us, God bless..._

As the final words left their lips, Raven's fingers blurred across the guitar for the lead solo, once more surprising Jinx with the disparity of the girl's words and her actual skill. Still, she had to admit it this whole night was, god forbid it, fun. She was breathing heavily from the exertion but that didn't seem to matter as a good portion of the audience still continued to cheer their makeshift band. Even Raven seemed to appreciate the attention as she waved nervously to the crowd. Off to the side, Jinx saw the blonde looking off in the distance, an expectant look on her face that quickly turned to relief for some reason.

"They're here!" she tells her band mates animatedly. "We just need to keep the audience occupied a little longer while they get their gear ready."

Jinx wondered who 'they' referred to until she realized that she meant the true band had arrived. Relieved that the ordeal was over, she was surprised that she was also somewhat disappointed her that she was no longer needed to perform. Looking to the others, she saw that no one seemed to mind performing one more song and gave a shrug of mock resignation. "So what do we play?"

T-T-T

After their last song, Jinx had been relegated to bar duty, taking care of preparing people's orders as they listened to Eternal Descent (3). Bidding Raven farewell, she was surprised when the goth actually offered to help, explaining that she wanted to spend as much time outside as she could. Why anyone would want to wait on tables for 'fun', she couldn't comprehend but she wasn't about to turn down a chance to take a workload off her. When she told Maitre about it, he seemed ok with allowing her to work and offered to pay her for whatever time she spent in the café.

Watching Raven taking orders, she couldn't help but find it amusing how she was impassive one moment, cheery the next, and at one point mildly irritated for no apparent reason (along with a few other quirks that she found weird). All this was done while she continued to wear that ridiculous witch's hat; it seemed that no one was able to make the connection that there was a Teen Titan taking orders in the café. Still, the extra member made this night easier as they were normally swamped whenever they had this many customers.

"So this is what it feels to be normal," Raven says, interrupting Jinx from her thoughts as she handed 'Jen' another set of order sheets.

"Pffft. Normal? I hope not. I don't plan on staying here forever," she answers back. Looking over the orders, she goes about preparing the drinks with the skill of a master, another thing she had to thank her training at the Academy for; it was like mixing chemicals from her classes except they were much less lethal. Looking back at the Titan, she couldn't help but notice how she watched everything and everyone with an almost desperate longing. "What's wrong? You look like you've never seen a crowd this big before."

"I haven't."

"Yeah, this is a first, actually. I'm pretty surprised myself but I guess Maitre knew that the band would bring in this kind of crowd," she comments, missing the melancholic expression on Raven's face as she was focused on making the drinks. "Here ya go, table 10 and 7." As Raven walked off with the beverages, Jinx proceeded with the other orders but was interrupted when someone sat at the bar. "Sorry, no orders here. You have to wait for..."

"I'm not here for a drink," the man answers with a smile.

As she watches him reach into his pocket, her first impulse was to run, assuming that he was a cop and that he saw through her disguise, but she beat down the urge; if worst came to worst, she was way more than capable of dealing with one flatfoot. To her relief, he instead pulled out a business card and placed it in front of her.

"My name is Max Blackwell, and I represent Millennium Media. I liked your performance and wanted to discuss if you've ever thought about a professional career."

Surprise was fully evident on Jinx's face as she looked at the man incredulously. It was a common technique she had heard of before but never actually thought it would actually happen to her. "What do you mean?" she asks in mock confusion, hoping to catch him slipping up in his spiel.

"To put it simply, how would you like to be famous?"

A good deal later, Jinx was leaning against the bar idly flipping the business card in her hand. She had looked over the card itself and recognized the location as the actual company address (not that she would mention ever breaking in there before) so the place, at the very least, was legit. And there was the fact that he had asked her to come to the office so they could formalize their introductions and discuss the matter in more detail. The only thing was that Max had specifically asked for both her _and_ Raven. Blowing away a stray hair that had fallen in front of her face, she huffed in annoyance, debating as to whether or not to take the man up on his offer. She _knew_ how much artists could make; she had broken into enough of their homes before to have a fairly good idea. It would be much more than what she was making here plus it would probably make Tabitha happy she was earning legit cash.

Of course there was the little bit that she would have to work with Raven 24/7. Sure, the only reason they got along tonight was the fact that she was 'Jen'. If Raven ever found out who she really was... She wasn't sure if she was excited or disappointed at the opportunity to fight the girl but it would certainly be something to see. There was also the little matter of the fact that she was a H.I.V.E agent and authorities tended to frown on known criminals. Wondering what Raziel would think if he ever saw the two of them actually working together, Jinx finally remembered that she still hadn't asked the goth everything she needed to know about Raziel's disappearance. Scanning the crowed, she failed to see the pointed hat sticking up. Thankfully she saw Beth walking by so she immediately pulled the girl aside. "Hey, where'd Raven disappear to?"

"Careful! You almost made me drop my tray!" Beth retorted angrily before immediately calming down. "Oh, you mean witch-girl? She said she had to go. Something about her brooch blinking and all that," she adds in a bored tone.

Jinx fought back a string of expletives at Raven's sudden disappearance. Just like a Titan to leave her hanging like that. And just what exactly did she mean by blinking brooch? Just for that, she was going to make an 'extra special' batch of tea the next time she came by. Cackling in delight, she stopped as she noticed something that set off warning bells in her head. "Hey Beth, that mug on your tray...where did you...?" Jinx asks.

Beth seemed to think for a bit then pointed off to an isolated table in the corner of the café. "Over there. Why?"

Jinx expression fell as she noticed the mug was completely empty.

'_Uh oh.'_

T-T-T

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"

Starfire watched in awe as Raven telekinetically controlled an entire tidal wave, slamming the machine known as Atlas with several metric tons of water. Even as the machine seemed unaffected, Raven followed up with a series of martial arts moves that she had never seen the girl perform before, concluding it with a palm strike that left quite the visible impression on the robot's armor. Even that, however, wasn't what kept the Tamaranian riveted on the scene; it was the large blue hat that adorned her best girl friend's head. "Robin, is that..."

"I don't see anything, I don't know anything," the boy wonder responds, unwilling to risk Raven's ire given how she was soundly thrashing Atlas. He also didn't want to ask how she was performing Zui Quan but as long as she kept it up he wouldn't pry.

Atlas, for one, was not impressed. Furious was more what he was feeling. All his scanners were telling him was that his opponent was a human female; a mere human female was pushing him back! She had even left an imprint of her palm on his chassis. The only thing unique on her was that she had trace amounts of ethanol in her bloodstream; it did not explain how he was unable to predict her movements. He was able to perform billions of calculations a second and none of his battles could compare to this girl. Swinging one of his giant fists at the girl, she wobbled to the side, deftly side-stepping the attack as dark energy pooled in her hands. He immediately raised his arms in defense, bracing himself for what he knew to be a powerful counter-attack.

(PLOP!) "Zzzzzz..."

Blinking his mechanical eyes, he saw the girl lying flat on her face. "Mechanic! Force Bubbles!" he shouts, unwilling to take any chances given how he was nearly defeated by the girl. As the four Titans were trapped in the glowing yellow fields, he turned his attention back to Cyborg who was just getting back to his feet. "Now, where were we before we were rudely interrupted?"

T-T-T

Raven rubbed her brow as she felt the stirrings of a massive headache. Placing a hand against the force field, she began to stand up but stopped midway as she finally realized what it was she was touching. _'Force field?'_ The bright yellow barrier surrounding her didn't appear to have any adverse effect on her but she couldn't determine its composition. It felt like pushing against glass. Forcing a bit of her power into her hand, she slammed her palm onto the barrier but found her energies dispersing harmlessly into the shield. "What the hell just happened?" she asks herself. Last she could recall was that she was drinking at the café (although she seemed to recall something about a guitar, she couldn't play the thing if her life depended on it). A few random images came to mind but before she could make sense of them a large red and yellow robot approached from behind with a condescending sneer.

"Silence, female human! Trophies should be seen and not heard. Refuse and you will see discover how much more fragile organics can be."

The robot yelled for some mechanic as it sauntered off. Raven glared at being called something's trophy and she was pretty sure the 'organic' term was derogatory in the machine's eyes...sensors...whatever. Unfortunately for her that was all she could really do given how ineffective her powers were against the shield. Looking around, she saw Robin, Beastboy, Starfire, and Jinx all trapped in similar bubbles and having the same luck as her at breaking out of their respective prisons.

'_Wait a minute. Jinx?'_ At first she thought it was her imagination so she carefully rubbed her eyes to wake herself up. Once that was done, she slowly turned to her side expecting to see Cyborg but as before all she saw was the H.I.V.E member waving at her sheepishly.

"Heya."

-To be continued.-

And so ends another chapter of Souls Entwined. My apologies if anyone didn't like the Haruhi references. After watching it again, I couldn't help but picture Raven and Jinx performing "God knows..." and had to write that in somehow (although I would have rather written the romanji lyrics, I tried to keep them all English to be consistent).

With regards to the cliffhanger, stay tuned for the next chapter 

**Notes**:

(2) Remember kids. Be like Billy and don't spike your friends' drinks. :-p (Cookies for people who can get the reference). Enemies, on the other hand, are free game.

(3) A band that I recently found and to my surprise grew on me. I can only get their songs on iTunes though, which kinda pissed me off…I wants mah CD! :-p

**Omake**:

(1) The Academy was certainly running her ragged these past few weeks. With the Titans becoming more active, they had taken to doing more clandestine missions which in truth was hard given her team's composition; they were an assault team for crying out loud. Now they had another retrieval mission coming up next week on top of being something close to teaching assistants for the new class of recruits. _'More like training dummies,'_ Jinx huffed angrily. Honestly, get beaten by the Titans a few times and the staff acts like her team was all washed up.

Finally arriving at Mammoth's room, she raps loudly on the door as the guy was known as quite the heavy sleeper. "Hey food for brains! We have to discuss the next mission!" she calls out. Pounding on the door again, she waited a few moments before deciding he probably wasn't in. Maybe he was with Gizmo. Luckily for her Gizmo's room was just down the hall. Upon reaching the door, her hand went up to knock but stopped as she heard...giggling?

"Hehehehe."

"Uh huh huh huh huh."

Ok, that was sounding a little too creepy and familiar. However, her curiosity was killing her as to what was making them giggle. Forcing a small energy blast into the door, she shorts out the locking mechanism and slowly slides the door open, silently making her way into the room. Off to the corner, she saw Gizmo and Mammoth huddled over what appeared to be a small monitor. While they were speaking in hushed tones, now that she was in the room she could hear exactly what they were saying.

"...and when I tapped into it, I found out the whole thing is wired through the whole academy. Look here," Gizmo says, clicking a remote in his hand.

'_Wired? What was wired?' _

"Won't they know we know...uh...that you know?" Mammoth asks, scratching his head as he strained himself with all the recursive references.

"Pfft! As if those boogers for brains were smarter than me. All they'll see here is me tinkering with my backpack! Now I wonder what this signal is feeding from..."

"..."

'_Tinkering with his backpack? No he isn't_._'_ Now she was really curious. Noticing that they were now fixated on the screen, she snuck even closer to the duo. As she approached the two, she could see Mammoth flushing a rosy shade of pink as a thin trail of drool dripped from his chin. Even Gizmo was unusually quiet as he stared at the monitor. She was still at the wrong angle to see anything clearly and so she moved ever so slightly to get closer. She could make out something moving on the screen but couldn't identify what it was. Maybe it was some TV show or...

"Uh huh huh huh huh...boobies."

"Quiet down, barf breath! You want us to get caught!" Gizmo admonishes as his eyes followed the twin globes (or rather multiple globes) of flesh that was the girls shower room. "Is that...? And look at...! Whoa! I didn't know that she...!" He couldn't complete his sentences as each movement caused his normally intelligent brain to go into lockdown. "Hehehehe." He cackled with glee at now having a way to blackmail all the girls in the academy. He could probably even force Jinx to make him leader of their team and...why was it getting so hot in the room, anyway?

"Force me to make you leader of the team, eh?"

Crap, did he say that out loud? Slowly turning around, he saw Mammoth already sweating bullets before a glaring Jinx, her eyes glowing a bright pink as a malevolent aura surrounded her body. "Hehehe...heya...Jinx. About that..." His arm began fiddling for the off switch; he had to shut off the monitor before she...

(THOOM!)

Gizmo froze as a small explosion blew a hole near the family jewels. Jinx deftly plucked the remote from his hand and was now eyeing the monitor with a noticeable frown as she flipped through the feed. Now that Jinx was preoccupied, he started to slink away but stopped as he felt the heat in the room suddenly rise.

"Gizmo."

"EEP! Y...yes?" Jinx still had her back turned so he hoped she didn't notice him trying to run.

"You said something about blocking the feed?"

"Yesicanmakeyouonepleasedontkillme!"

"Good. I want one in one hour." With that, she turns to leave the room, her earlier objective of having a planning session with them forgotten. How _dare_ the Hive place spy cameras everywhere. She felt so...so...violated. Sure, she understood the need for security and all that but this was taking things a bit too far. After she got that device from Gizmo she'd make sure that no one could spy on her again. Well, except maybe a certain someone, she thought idly as a blush came to her cheeks. She stopped mid-stride as she just remembered something. Wasn't that the girl's locker room feed Gizmo was tapping into?

Screams of terror could soon be heard filling the halls of the boys' dorm. No one really saw much of Gizmo and Mammoth for several days after, leading their classmates to believe the dorm was cursed.

**Omake2**:

Turning her guitar was Raven, her cheery expression back to the emotionless one she normally wore. That in itself wasn't all that surprising given the weird mood swings. What _was_ surprising was the blue witch's hat that adorned her head. "What the hell is _that_?"

"It's a hat."

Given Raven had answered in her usual monotone Jinx couldn't tell if she was joking or not but the way she said it pissed her off nonetheless. "I mean why are you wearing it?"

"You should have been more specific," came dry answer. "Given it would not do to have Raven perform in public, a suitable alter ego must be applied."

"'Alter ego'? You don't exactly look any different," she retorted with a sneer. "You just look like some crazy fortune teller." Raven simply turned to her with a look. It was unnerving the way her face just stayed frozen like a mask but what took the cake was when Raven pulled out a toy wand with a gold star on the tip.

"In twenty-three seconds Beth will come in with her drums. Five seconds after that you will trip over a microphone wire. As you fall you will pull on the stage curtain, ripping twelve of the rings off and falling forward on top of me and providing the audience with implied girl-on-girl action as well as a service shot to the first row occupants."

"...You're weird, you know..."

"So where do I place the drums?"

Whirling around, Jinx's eyes widened upon seeing Beth dragging a cart carrying a drum set. She immediately glanced at her feet but saw no wire which brought a smirk to her lips. "Ha! Some prediction..."

"Out of the way! Gotta set up the system! Move it! Move it!"

The blonde girl brushed past Jinx, incidentally hooking her leg with one of several cables that she was dragging along which caused Jinx to fall backwards. Instinctively reaching out for any support, her hand grasped the curtains which then proceeded to rip off the rack.

(CRASH!)

Her fall arrested by a pair of soft mounds, Jinx immediately pushed herself off and locked eyes with Raven as several catcalls and whistles could be heard behind her. "Not a word," she growls, daring the goth to say something. Much to her consternation, the girl did while pointing to the curtain.

"Twelve," came the emotionless reply.


	24. The Return

**Soul's Entwined**

Disclaimer: The Souls Entwined story is my own concept. All characters are owned by their respective creators.

© 2007

Welcome to **Raven-of-Alaska**, **DarkPawn, selene-v**, **Lucian101, Alasriad, lord-of-fire15, Sprit Of the Phoenix, Mastersam**,and all those that have reviewed! Again, I apologize for the delays but with RL matters taking a bit of precedence (gotta pay those bills somehow :p), I haven't written as much as I'd have liked.

**Raven-of-Alaska** – Thanks so much for all those reviews! I'm so glad you loved the chapters as much as I loved writing them!

**Raziel Tepes** – Yup. I figure that alcohol works in mysterious ways . Personally, I liked writing them in and want to keep them in the story.

**Mastersam** – Glad you liked the previous chapter. And yes, that episode will worm its way in  And glad you like the Omakes. I love writing them too! This chapter was supposed to come out 2 weeks ago but...stuff...got in the way.

Onward with the Story!!

**The Return**

Raven sat and meditated on her predicament. She had tried a razor-thin blade, a battering ram, and even expanding a ball of energy to break free but it was no use. Whatever technology Atlas was using was certainly powerful enough to stop her powers no matter what form she created. True, she didn't trap into her full demonic ones but those were something too dangerous to even consider ever using. Still, meditating was becoming difficult as her companions saw fit to annoy her with their endless chatter.

"What's Slade planning?" "I need to pee!" "Are you working for Atlas?"

"Argh! What's a girl gotta do to mope in silence around here!" Jinx screamed in frustration. To her surprise, the Titans actually seemed to listen to her as they simply stared with wide eyes. Except for Raven, though. There were trace hints of a smile on her lips similar to back at the café. She was tempted to smile back but remembered how it was she was in this particular mess in the first place. Instead she settled for sitting down and continuing to mope.

"So..." Raven says out loud while opening one eye to peek at her neighbor. "What brings you here?"

-A while ago-

Jinx expression fell as she noticed the mug was completely empty.

'_Uh oh.'_

Her mind was in turmoil. On the one hand, she wanted to follow Raven to watch the hilarity of a drunken Titan on the streets. On the other hand, no one, more so a girl, should walk alone in her condition and it _was_ kind of her fault Raven was drunk. One could almost see the proverbial angel and devil on each of her shoulders arguing. She finally decided on a compromise, deciding that she would follow her and laugh anyway but still make sure she got home safely. Jinx immediately went about to inform Maitre she'd be taking off early to walk her 'friend' home, her boss agreeing in his exaggerated French accent that the pale 'mademoiselle' was welcome anytime.

Unfortunately for Jinx, she completely forgot the fact that Raven could fly. Doubly unfortunate was that she had already run quite a distance searching for her before she realized that fact. Thus, she was now tired, sweaty, and just a tad annoyed as she began her trek back to the H.I.V.E. base. _'I swear, the next time I see Raven, she's going to get a taste of bad luck where the sun don't shine!'_ she growls. As she had sweat quite a bit during her run, it was good luck (one of the few times, really) that she had her real clothes on her. All she needed now was a place to change. That abandoned stadium over yonder seemed as good a place as any. Walking through the halls, she felt a little sad at the state the old building was in; it was just like people to toss away things that were useless to them. Shaking the depressing thoughts out of her head, she dropped her bag and took off the 'costume' she wore to the café, carefully tucking away her contacts and wig within the pockets of her bag. Now once more in her slinky black outfit, she couldn't help but grin at her reflection in the broken mirror. "Now that's what I'm talking about!" she beams.

(THOOM!)

The sudden boom cracked the mirror and shook Jinx off her feet. Landing on her rear, she let out a few choice curses before rushing out, grabbing her bag before something else threatened to ruin her day. As she neared the exit, she could hear several yells coming from the center of the stadium. She really didn't want to know what was going on but curiosity was getting the better of her. Stopping short of the exit, another crash from the top bleachers caused large chunks of debris to fall in front of her which caused her to pale; had she continued forward she would have been crushed underneath that pile. At first she went through shock at having nearly been killed. Denial soon followed that it couldn't have happened because of her bad luck but it was immediately followed by depression that things like this always happened. What snapped her out of her funk was anger as she knew that it had to be one of those shouting that caused her near brush with death. Righteous indignation in her eyes, she immediately stormed off back towards the stadium grounds, all the while shockwaves of whatever fight was occurring continuing to shake the area. Finally making it out one of the doors, she caught sight of what it was that was giving her a hard time. Locked in a test of strength was Cyborg and an unknown red and yellow robot, the latter looking like the one winning. Even from this distance she could make out what the robot was saying.

"It would appear you are at your limit. But Atlas has power to spare."

'_So Atlas is his name,'_ she thought angrily. _He_ was the reason she was nearly killed. She clenched her fists in anticipation but stopped as she realized what she was about to do. _'Ok...hold up. Am I just going to _save_ the Titans butts?'_ she thought to herself, a bad taste forming in her mouth at the thought of it. The loud sound of steel meeting flesh caught her attention as Atlas slammed Cyborg into the ground and derailed that particular train of thought. _'Yeah...bad idea,'_ she tells herself. That hit looked particularly painful. Deciding to play it safe, she continued to watch the fight to see what exactly was going on. Still, she had to feel sorry for the cybernetic Titan as he had his proverbial ass handed to him. He crashed to the ground one last time, his power most likely spent as he was held under the red robot's heel.

"You win, Atlas. You got what you wanted. You beat me. Now let my friends go."

'_So that's what it was,'_ Jinx smirked in understanding. The Titans had bitten off more than they could chew. Oh, this was going to be so good conversation when she fought Raven again. Speaking of which, where was the girl? Peering at one of the bubbles, she saw Raven unmoving and had flinch slightly; was she unconscious because of the drink? She'd find out once the thing let the Titans go.

"I think not. I will keep them. They...amuse me," Atlas answered, not bothering to face the fallen Cyborg.

One could see the look of disbelief and shock on the Titan's face as he struggled to get up. "You...you promised! You can't do that!"

"I can, and I will."

"Hold it right there!" a voice shouts out from the shadows.

Atlas immediately whirled around as he attempted to search for the source of the voice. His eyes finally focused on a lithe outline in the shadows, two pink eyes glaring at him from the darkness. The figure calmly walked into the light to reveal a small female human. As she barely reached his waist one could almost see the condescending sneer on his face as she placed her hands on her hips. "What does a mere human female want with Atlas?" The same question could be seen in the eyes of the Titans who were all staring at their unlikely rescuer.

"I've got a bone to pick with you, buster! You think you can just waltz in here and just _take_ the Titans? I have a score to settle with her," Jinx retorted, pointing at the clearly unconscious girl in the bubble, "and if anyone's going to beat miss doom and gloom, it's going to be me!" On the outside, Jinx had her typical sneer and was glaring angrily at the red and yellow robot. On the inside, however, she was confused as hell and more than a little nervous. _'What the hell am I doing?'_ she kept repeating to herself. The first thing that came to mind was that she was doing this because with Raven incarcerated, she wouldn't have been able to talk to Max at his studio. It wasn't because she actually felt like rescuing the girl or anything. Of course, whatever her reason would be, it meant she was going against a very large robot who seemed to have no trouble beating Cyborg; and Cyborg was nearly the match of Mammoth to begin with so that spoke volumes of its power level.

'_I am so dead,'_ she thought worriedly, hoping that Atlas didn't notice she was sweating bullets. It made her wonder briefly if robots could smell fear but that thought brushed aside as Atlas began to laugh haughtily.

"You?! Challenge the great Atlas? Atlas has no time for games, little girl!"

"..."

"This would be like taking files from an unencrypted archive! Far too beneath the likes of one such as myself! Am I right, Mechanic?"

"Uhh, good one, master," the indentured human responded although clearly confused at the comparison.

"...!"

"Play with your dolls, human female. Atlas desires to retire for the night." Turning his back to the pink-haired girl, he failed to notice the glowing pink aura that was slowly growing brighter around the said human.

"Um, master?"

Glaring at Mechanic, Atlas saw him pointing to something behind him. Turning his head 180-degrees, all he saw was the fast approaching sole of a boot as it slammed into his face. Given his center of gravity, it did little to unbalance him as his head was currently facing the wrong way it distracted him enough as the female immediately did a back flip, landing gingerly at his feet and dashing between his legs.

Jinx smirked as she passed between the two legs. Letting her momentum carry her, she stretched out, a hand striking one leg while a foot struck another, pink bolts of energy blasting the legs into a split. _That_ caused him to lose balance as he landed unceremoniously on his rear. "Guess they don't build robots like they used to," she sneers.

"You just made a very huge mistake, _human_."

The robot had returned its head to face her, an angry glare on its face as it towered over her comparatively small frame. She knew that she had only managed to annoy the thing so she needed to take him down immediately. Looking at to her rear, she could see the shocked expressions on the Titans' faces and had to frown; she really didn't want to reveal this move to them but given the situation she was in she really had no choice. At the very least Raven was still out of it; she was the only one who could probably analyze it and defend against it.

Atlas charged at the girl, his fist ready to slam into her when he saw her eyes suddenly glow pink. Almost immediately he dropped as a huge sinkhole appeared where he stepped. The hole swallowed him up to his waist which left him nearly eye level with the girl who was now inches from him. _'How did she move so fast?'_

Jinx didn't give him time to formulate an answer as the she drew back her arms, her hands moving into a knife-hand thrust as she struck multiple points on his body. Her arms blurring, they struck with pinpoint accuracy on Atlas, small indentations appearing on his body where the attacks hit. Her final strike was a palm thrust on the robot's chest, a large pink blast of energy escaping out its back as flesh met steel. Although breathing heavily from the exertion, she still found the strength to leap backwards as a precaution; it was the first time she had tried it in a real-life scenario so it was better to be safe than sorry. Also, her hands were throbbing with pain at having struck something that was most likely stronger than steel. Seeing that Atlas was frozen in place, his eyes deactivated, she turned around to face the Titans with a triumphant smirk. "Now _that's_ how you're supposed to beat...gurk!" Jinx suddenly found herself trapped in the giant palm of Atlas, his grip tightening around her body which made it difficult for her to breathe. Turning her head around as much as she could, she saw Atlas' face staring at her with undisguised rage.

"You damaged me, human. I should destroy you right now," Atlas rumbled, glancing ever so briefly at the multiple indentations around his body. Turning back to his captive, he searched for the abject fear and hopelessness on her face but found none. This one, although clearly afraid, still held a measure of defiance. That would not do. It would be so much better to break her first before utterly destroying her. "Mechanic! Force Bubble!"

-Present time-

Jinx frowned as Raven's question brought up the unpleasant memory. She had completely forgotten that Atlas was a robot; her attack was meant to disrupt the magical life force of a _human_ opponent (specifically Raven, but she didn't need to know that). That slight lapse in judgment had cost her and now she was stuck with the Titans for who knew how long.

"So?"

Shaken out of her brooding, Jinx saw Raven looking at her inquisitively, almost expectantly awaiting an answer. "Pfft. I don't have to explain anything to you," she huffs. It was embarrassing enough for her that she actually _tried_ to save Raven. It was even more so that she failed miserably at it, getting caught in the process. If anyone back at the Academy ever found out she'd never live it down.

"I believe Jinx said something about not allowing anyone but her to defeat you, friend Raven," Starfire answers helpfully, woefully ignorant of the glare that was now being directed her way; that and her view was blocked by both Beastboy and Raven.

Jinx fought back a biting remark at the smirk on Raven's lips. "Oh, ha ha. Yuck it up, why don't ya? I didn't see any of you have any luck getting out," she retorts angrily.

It was now Raven's turn to suppress the angry tick on her forehead. Huffing in indignation, she enters a meditative pose and released her powers, forming her own bubble that expanded outward. To her surprise and shock, Atlas' bubble kept her confined and refused to budge an inch even as she poured more power into her own. She could try to release more but that carried the risk of summoning her father, which in all likelihood wasn't worth it. Settling down in her 'cage' (for lack of a better word), she turns her gaze back to Jinx who was looking at her with her own smirk. "Not a word," she growls.

"Oooooh. What are you gonna do if I _do_ say a word? Attack me? I'm soooo scare...AAAAAAAH!!"

Jinx and Raven screamed as several hundred volts of electricity ran through their bodies. The shock was relatively brief but it felt like ages to them. By the end of it they had collapsed to the floor, curled up reflexively in a ball as they tried to fight off the induced paralysis and pain.

"Silence, females! Prisoners should be seen and not heard!" Atlas yells from his seat, his head turned a full 180-degrees as he glared at his captives. The other 'trophies' banged angrily on their prisons to no effect except to his own delight. Soon he would break them all and prove that he was the mightiest robot; no force would be able to stop him then.

"Master, wasn't that just a bit..."

"Are you questioning me, mechanic?"

Although still in pain, Jinx could see the hesitation in Atlas' accomplice; if she could just find a way to take advantage of that...after she got her second wind that is. When Atlas yelled for another barrel of oil, she knew it was her chance as Mechanic hurried past her. "Hey!" she calls out, her voice still somewhat hoarse from the earlier torture. Mechanic seemed to stop and turned to face her. Although his seemed to be a robot, she had a hunch it was a human inside a suit; the way Atlas treated him was evidence enough. "I don't suppose you could tell me why you're allowing him to treat you like that?"

"'Cause that's how it's supposed to be. The strong rule the weak. And Atlas is stronger than anyone else, better than everyone else. You'd best learn that soon," the armor's synthesized voice responds before turning away to

As Mechanic floated off, Jinx had to smirk despite the pain that continued to course through her body. _'Queen takes pawn,'_ she thought to herself. Resting against the bubble's wall, she turned her gaze to Raven who by now had also somewhat recovered from her bout with torture. "You ok over there?" she asks.

"Talk to me when the burning stops," comes the dry response from Raven, her body still aching from earlier. Chanting a small healing spell, she raises a glowing hand and slowly runs it over her body, a soft sigh escaping her lips as she healed her screaming nerves. Looking back to Jinx, she saw the H.I.V.E. student had taken a lotus position and was calmly breathing. She could sense power building up within the girl but it was held at such a bare minimum that to untrained eyes it would have seemed like she held no power at all. "I didn't know you meditated," Raven says.

Cracking open an eye, Jinx couldn't help but smirk at the clear surprise in Raven's voice. "There's a lot you don't know about me," she answers. She paused in her meditation as she just realized something. "You know, you're acting pretty nice to me after Starfire told you I was going to beat you."

Raven simply shrugged as she continued to heal herself. "It's not as if I can do anything about it." When Jinx opened her mouth in shock, it immediately shut when Raven completed her sentence. "At least until I get out of her," she adds, enjoying the mild look of annoyance on rival. _'Wait...Rival? Since when?'_ That stray thought had simply popped out of nowhere and she wasn't sure why exactly she was a 'rival.' She wasn't even sure why she was acting friendly in the first place. Looking back at the girl, she saw that Jinx had resumed her lotus-position to continue her meditation. She was at least courteous enough to allow the girl to meditate so she turned to Starfire who was eyeing her worriedly. "What happened while I was out?"

Starfire proceeded to tell Raven exactly what had happened just moments ago.

T-T-T

Cyborg slammed his fist through the glass window, shattering his reflection. Atlas was right about being the better robot. What could he do? He wasn't human and he wasn't robot. The truth of the matter was that without his cybernetic 'enhancements', what use was he to the Titans? He let his friends down and now they were the prisoners of that robot. "I lost. The Titans are gone now," he says to himself.

"_So are you just going to give up?"_

Blinking in surprise, he searched for the source of the voice but found none. His eyes falling on a broken piece of glass, he saw his reflection staring back at him almost disappointingly.

"Are you...?"

"_Damn straight, I am. Get back there and fight! You can still beat him."_

"I must be going nuts..." Cyborg chuckled nervously. "That's it. Atlas must have knocked my head so hard I have a concussion..."

"_So beneath that hard metal head is still a human brain. Use it! Or did Atlas knock out your courage too?"_

Cyborg stared at his broken reflection, a glowing red eye seemingly glaring at him. No voice came from the mirror image but his resolve had firmed. Turning around, he slammed a fist into his palm and began his trek back towards the old stadium.

T-T-T

Raven frowned upon learning of Cyborg's defeat. He was their powerhouse and he lost to Atlas? That didn't seem possible unless Atlas was of extraterrestrial origin or was created by some super genius; the latter seemed the most likely given Atlas almost simplistic appearance and need for a mechanic. She was even more surprised when she was told Jinx had suddenly appeared and seemed to attempt to rescue them. Granted she still lost, Starfire described the girl as 'a fighter most capable.' Even Robin seemed impressed given the way he was nodding in agreement with Starfire. Looking back at Jinx, she noticed her staring intently at Mechanic, the latter nervously awaiting an order from Atlas. What was she doing? Jinx suddenly turned to her with a smirk, apparently having noticed that she was being stared at. Blushing at being caught, her embarrassment turned to puzzlement as Jinx began making signs with her hands. At first she thought it was some weird spell but a few of the hand signs began to make sense; it was sign language.

(Mechanic isn't happy), Jinx says.

Raven struggled to remember those few lessons that Robin forced them to learn and had to silently thank the boy wonder. (Why hand talk?)

Jinx fought back a giggle at her rival's lack of conversational skills. (Not very articulate, are we?) Raven scowled back at her and just repeated the question but it was clear the girl was out of practice. (Atlas is a machine. I'm sure his hearing is much better than we give him credit for. We don't want a repeat of earlier, do we?) she answers almost rhetorically.

Nodding at the logic of it, Raven spared a glance at Atlas who still appeared to be busy playing some console game. (So what with Mechanic?)

Jinx glanced at the obviously downtrodden assistant who was staring at the floor. (He's the mechanic, so he's got to know how to deactivate these fields. If he's not happy, then...)

(We can use that,) Raven says, completing Jinx's train of thought. (But how?)

Jinx had to pause at the question. If her assumption of Atlas' abilities was correct, simply discussing it out loud wouldn't do as Atlas could overhear them and put and end to whatever plan they concocted. Plus, Mechanic would probably be too scared to discuss it out in the open.

"Mechanic! More oil!!" comes the angry yell.

Jinx watched Mechanic rush to grab a barrel of oil, picking up the barrel with practiced ease and hovering over to Atlas side. As soon as Mechanic neared Atlas, the robot grabbed the barrel with nary a thanks, tearing open the top and downing it like a wino on martini night. To her surprise, Atlas immediately spat the liquid into Mechanic's face before tossing the barrel into him. The impact was enough to overpower Mechanic's hover pack which caused the man to tumble to the ground.

"The oil is cold! I desire warm oil!"

Raven watched Mechanic pick himself up from the floor and shuffle off. She could sense the feelings of helplessness rolling off in waves but mixed in was a tiny ripple of anger. That was the spark they needed to break out, but they needed some way of igniting it further.

"Hey! If this is how you treat your friends, you're an even bigger loser than I thought you were," Jinx yelled at Atlas.

'_What is she doing?'_ Raven thought worriedly. True, she disliked Jinx but what she was doing was tantamount to suicide given how Atlas seemed to enjoy torturing his things.

Atlas froze in the middle of his game, allowing the player he had challenged to beat the crap out of his online avatar. _'Curse you, XScar from Tokyo, Japan. I will have my revenge another day. But for now...'_ Standing up from his chair, Atlas turned to face Jinx who was glaring at him defiantly once more. "I see the trophy has failed to learn its place," he growls.

"Pfft. As I see it, Mechanic's more of a winner to me for putting up with a loser like you for all this time." When Atlas' eyes began to glow red, she knew for sure she had pissed off the robot more than she had planned. To her surprise, Mechanic suddenly came into the picture, dropping a large barrel which rolled into Atlas' leg and throwing the robot off balance. It was enough to distract the robot as it now turned its angry glare at Mechanic. Internally giving a sigh of relief, Jinx noticed the brief glance that Mechanic threw her way and realized that the barrel was no accident. Unfortunately for Mechanic, Atlas realized it as well.

"You _dare_ to challenge me? After I gave you the privilege of your existence?"

"I...I...I'm not listening to you any more," Mechanic manages to stammer, a slight edge of courage creeping into the statement. That was before a giant fist batted the smaller figure away like a fly.

Jinx grit her teeth in frustration, her hands clenched into fists at Mechanic's unmoving form. "S...!"

(THOOM!)

All eyes suddenly turned to the source of the seismic shock. Everyone who saw what caused it had to hold back a gasp of surprise. Raven had apparently slammed her palm into the wall of the force field, her hand cloaked in black energy as it tried to penetrate the yellow energy field. Her face betrayed no emotion but her eyes were glaring at Atlas.

"I think you have bigger fish to fry," came emotionless words from Raven's lips, withdrawing her fist as the field still refused to budge from her attack.

Atlas turned to face the girl, his circuits burning as he wanted so badly to rearrange her face. His optics focused on the field though, as he saw that the area where she had hit was badly weakened. Although it was already recharging, the fact that a mere human had been able to do that was an insult to machine kind. As if to add insult to injury, another voice called out from down the hall which quickly grated on his nerves.

"Get your metal face out here so I can kick it back to next Tuesday!"

One could almost see the proverbial vein throbbing on Atlas' head. Turning to Raven and Mechanic, he slammed his fists together as he growled at the two. "I will deal with you two later. It appears a bug does not know when to stay down." As soon as he turned back to face the hallway, a silver fist slammed into his face, knocking him back several feet into his TV.

"Now then, ready to let go of my friends?" His friends' cheers urged him on as he stood over Atlas. Unfortunately it seemed as though Atlas was still wasn't ready to agree with his request as he countered with an uppercut that sent him through the ceiling.

"Cyborg appears to be humiliated further in front of his humans. I will oblige his request." Pushing a button on his arm, the floor beneath the Titans prisons began to rise to the surface. As it moved slowly, Atlas jumped through the hole he had made using Cyborg's body, a slight glow coming from his fists as he disappeared to the surface.

Jinx couldn't help but ponder how Raven knew Cyborg was coming. The expressionless look on her face though left some doubt as to who the 'bigger fish' was that she was really referring to. Still, she had to welcome the turn of events. Once Cyborg was done thrashing mister roboto she could get on with her life and leave. Turning her attention back to Mechanic, the repairman was struggling to get back to his feet as his armor seemed to be groaning in protest. "Hey, don't force yourself. I'm sure the T...Titans will save us now," she says hesitantly. _'Reduced to praising the Titans...and Raziel's not even here to hear it...,'_ she sighs to herself. _'At least the others won't find out I had to be rescued.'_

"That...that's not it. I have to let you go..." Mechanic's voice was filled with static as whatever speakers that were on the armor were apparently damaged. "Overdrive mode...activated. Seal...broken..." Mechanic collapsed back on the ground as the armor gave out.

"BOOYAH! Can you smell what Cy's cooking?!"

The Titans' eyes turned to Cyborg as the platform had finally reached the surface. It was like watching a massacre as the metallic Titan laid the proverbial smack down on Atlas. Each blow slammed into the robot with more force than they had ever seen him use. They cheered for him with vigor as Atlas didn't seem to be able to land a blow on their teammate; even Jinx wound up cheering for Cyborg with each punch he threw.

"Yeah! Give him a left! And another left! Kick his ass!!"

Raven looked at the H.I.V.E. girl with a raised eyebrow at her uncharacteristically enthusiastic cheer. Still, she had to give Cyborg credit; he _was_ uncharacteristically enthusiastic as well in his efforts. "Go, Cyborg," she deadpans.

"You call that a cheer? C'mon! Put some heart into..." She paused as both of their eyes went wide. Both she and Raven turned to Atlas as they suddenly felt unnatural power rise from his body. What worried them was the fact that they _could_ sense it. Technological energy differed completely from that generated from a magical source and what had suddenly burst forth from Atlas was anything but technological.

"Cyborg! Get away from Atlas!"

Having worked with Raven for so long, he knew better than to question anything that made her sound that worried. Immediately leaping back, his human eye widened as a red beam of energy burst forth from Atlas' chest. "Hey! What about no weapons?!" Cyborg yelled angrily as he stared at the small crater where he once stood.

"Atlas always wins! No one is stronger than Atlas!" As he ranted, several slots opened on his body revealing an impressive array of weapons that would have made every gun-crazy enthusiast green with envy. The barrel of each weapon began to glow before they started firing madly.

Leaping wildly from side to side, Cyborg pushed his servos past their designed specs as he avoided the deadly beams. Whatever logic or style Atlas was using before had now vanished; all that remained was a rampaging robot that seemed to have little care for collateral damage. He tried to retaliate with his sonic cannon but continuously running wasn't doing his accuracy any good. Thankfully, it wasn't doing Atlas any good either as he had yet to land a shot on him. This was a good thing as whatever those beams were composed of, they appeared to only disintegrate whatever they struck rather than punch on through; he had ripped up several chunks of concrete as a makeshift defense and they had worked surprisingly well.

Atlas was beginning to see red with each passing moment; he was furious at how a half-robot was able to taunt him so. He was perfection itself and this...abomination dared to challenge him! Had he not already taken trophies as proof of his greatness? That last line of thought occupied a few teraflops as he realized an advantage he had not taken.

Raven watched as Cyborg deftly avoided Atlas' attacks and had to be a tad impressed; for his size, Cyborg was pretty nimble on his feet as he had never shown himself to be more than brute force for most things. However, that weird energy signature she (and apparently Jinx) had felt continued to disturb her. Once Atlas was defeated she would have to find out more about what she was sensing. Because her attention was focused on Atlas at the moment she noticed him turn ever so briefly a gaze at her and the rest of the 'trophies.' If he was a living being, she could have sworn he smirked at them. As his chest plate opened to reveal a large canon, she now knew what that look had meant.

"Atlas always wins!" came the dark chuckle as his weapons began to hum loudly.

"Ha! We're safe in these bubbles! If we can't break out, there's no way that he can hit us either!" Beastboy taunted.

"Fields are...one way..." Mechanic's scratchy voice rasped from his prone position on the floor, which caused the green changeling's mood to change rapidly.

"WAAAH! I'M TOO CUTE TO DIE!!" came the pathetic whine as the canon fired its load.

While at first they had a bit of confusion as to how one little canon ball would do them in, it, it suddenly grew to nearly one hundred times its size; even if it didn't explode the size of it would leave them as nothing more than a smear on the ground. Time seemed to slow down for the trapped Titans (and the out-of-place H.I.V.E student) as the giant projectile hurtled towards them. Whatever tools, abilities, or powers they had they immediately brought out in defense but they had no illusions that it would protect them from Atlas' final weapon. Not unless some wall magically appeared out of nowhere.

As if on cue, a loud rumbling filled the area as giant stone pillars shot up out of the ground, crisscrossing themselves in the path of the projectile. Given that they were only made of stone, they crumbled easily but they served their purpose of slowing the thing down. Still, it wasn't enough to stop it as it simply had too much momentum. That was when a red and blue blur landed in front of the Titans wielding an incredibly large stone sword that should have been impossible to lift.

For a human, that is.

Raven couldn't make out the person's features as he had his back to them but as he spared them a quick glance what she saw made her heart leap in her chest.

Ethereally glowing eyes.

The figure raised the sword into the air with practiced ease. As the projectile neared him, he sent the blade downward, splitting the shot straight down the middle. The two halves exploded harmlessly to the sides but the sword was done for apparently as it shattered after its job was done.

"Hey! Do you know how long it took to shape that? That's hard work, you know?"

The Titans eyes widened at the sound of the girl's voice. A lithe figure landed beside the first one with a pout on her lips. She rapped the taller figure on the head before she noticed the stares she was receiving. Turning to the Titans, they finally caught sight of her long blonde hair and trademark goggles on her face as she gave them a playful smirk.

"What's wrong? You look like you've never seen a superhero before."

Atlas, finally reaching his peak of irritation at being ignored, roared as he leveled his weapons at the two. "Who dares to insult the great Atlas?"

The blonde simply flipped her hair as she faced the robot that dwarfed her small frame. "The name's Terra. And I am so going to kick your ass!"

"I seriously doubt that, hu...!" Atlas was cut off as Cyborg's fist slammed into his face.

"Or not," Terra amended as she gave a nonchalant shrug while continuing to grin at the robot. "Hey, Raz! Got them out yet?"

Raven barely heard Terra's words as still couldn't believe her eyes; Raziel was back. His costume seemed to have changed slightly but he still wore the same red scarf around his neck. He was currently eyeing her strangely which just made her self conscious. "He...hey..." she stammers. She could tell Raziel was smirking beneath his scarf; it was embarrassing enough that she was captured so easily but now that he was the one who was rescuing them it just made her all the more want to hide within her cowl.

"Guess I got back just in time," he commented out loud. He did seem to look confused as a certain pink-haired individual waved shyly from her own force field. "I'm not sure I'm following what happened here..."

"I'll explain later," Raven interjects, eager to get out of the force field. Still, she didn't miss the look that Raziel gave Jinx was nearly similar to the one he gave her; amused and almost like sharing a silent conversation. Even Jinx seemed to be embarrassed at the whole situation which made it pique her curiosity all the more.

"...switch...in...remote...nder...floor..." came the choppy voice of Mechanic as an arm pointed to a spot on the floor.

Taking the hint, Raziel searched for the panel but found it completely sealed. Shrugging at the minor setback, he drew back his fist and punched through the metal plate, incidentally destroying the circuitry that kept the fields online.

As the fields dissipated with an audible 'pop', Atlas' knew he was severely outnumbered. Grabbing a punch that Cyborg had thrown at him, he tosses the cybernetic teen and proceeded to run towards an exit. However, his way was blocked by a giant hand that had burst out of the ground.

"Ah, ah, ah," Terra berated the red and yellow robot. "What happened to wanting a fair fight?"

Atlas looked around at the clearly overwhelming odds and had to growl angrily. "What is fair with seven against one?"

Raven took it upon herself to answer the rhetorical question as she hovered behind Atlas. "Unlike some 'people', we intend to keep our promise."

"As much as I'd like to rip your head off, Raven's right. This is Cyborg's fight," Jinx adds, much to the surprise of the Titans. "What? I _do_ have some values, you know," she counters. "But if he really doesn't want to play nice, I can oblige too," Jinx threatens, her hands glowing with pink energy as an evil smirk came to her face. "You'll find that I don't fall for the same trick twice."

Turning to face Cyborg, Atlas saw the look of unbridled confidence on the teen's face and had to curse to himself. He had no choice now but to follow their rules. In any case, his weapons had overheated already for their earlier barrage so it would be a while before he could use them again. Charging at the metallic Titan, the sound of metal meeting metal rang throughout the stadium as the battle began anew.

From the sides, the Titans cheered as Cyborg matched the giant robot blow for blow. Without weapons, it was clear that Cyborg was the more experienced fighter of the two as he used every bit of skill he had gained as a Titan. Even Mechanic, who had been helped to his feet by Raziel, stood in awe as a human was beating the previously unbeatable Atlas. Unlike earlier, this fight was much shorter as Cyborg seemed to be fueled with an unknown drive as he slammed a fist into Atlas' gut, causing the larger robot to double over. Using it to his advantage, he then picks up the machine and leaps into the air, using their combined weight to pile-drive him into the ground.

Everyone had to shield themselves reflexively as the crash let loose a giant dust cloud. For a brief moment they worried for Cyborg but when his form walked out of the dust they all cheered in relief. They were still tense but when Cyborg gave them a thumbs up the cheering rose to a new height.

"The new and reigning heavy weight champion of robot rumble...Cyborg!" Beastboy complimented as he raised the teen's arm into the air.

"I am most filled with joyousness! To celebrate this occasion, I will perform a traditional Tamaranian folk song!" As Starfire took a deep breath, Raven's hand automatically went up to cover the girl's mouth.

"Way to go, champ," Raven deadpans, although allowing herself a small smile to let Cyborg know she meant it.

Jinx, however, was eyeing the scene quizzically as she wondered why Raven had acted that way. Raziel had sensed her confusion and simply gave a neutral "I'll tell you some other time" statement. Of course, his comment now drew the rest of the Titans attention as they finally remembered the odd person in their group. "Uh oh..." She could already see the wheels turning in their heads but refused to show fear in front of them. If she was going to be captured, she was going to go down fighting.

Raziel noticed this as well and was rightly torn. As his friend, he had an obligation to help her, although as a Titan he was supposed to capture her. Relationships really gave him headaches. Thankfully, and much to his shock, Raven suddenly spoke up in the girl's defense.

"Well, Jinx really didn't do anything bad today. I haven't heard any news reports about a pink haired thief and she _did_ try to save us...I suppose."

No one was more surprised than Jinx at Raven's comment. Her eyes wide with shock, she looked to the rest of the Titans who were murmuring amongst themselves.

"Yes, Jinx has not done anything wrong. Are we still supposed to apprehend her?"

"I don't know, Star...she _is_ a villain..."

"C'mon, Rob. I mean, we catch her all the time, right? We can let her go just this once."

Jinx had to suppress the twitch on her face at Beastboy's comment, silently muttering "He's only trying to help," to herself. The grin on Raziel's face was apparent even beneath his scarf as she mouthed a 'Not a word' to the pale teen.

Robin finally threw his hands up in resignation; if his teammates thought it was for the best, who was he to stop them. "All right. You can go. But you know what'll happen the next time we meet."

"Gotcha, boss," she says playfully, inwardly relieved at the turn of events. "Well Raven, it's been real," Jinx says, winking at the girl and blowing a kiss at Raziel before running off. Although what she really wanted to do was talk to Raziel, she knew it wasn't possible with all the Titans around and so had to settle for at least seeing he was ok. Besides, she had to make it back to the Academy before people noticed she was missing.

"See ya! Come back soon! Don't forget to write, and all that!"

Now that Jinx had run off, the Titans finally were able to focus on the two people who had shown up in the nick of time.

"Terra!" "Raziel!"

Beastboy turned into a small green kitten and leapt into Terra's arms, mewling in delight while Starfire wrapped her pale friend in a deep embrace. "You are back, friend Raziel! And you were able to find friend Terra! Oh most joyous of days!"

"Mew!"

"So why didn't you let us know you were all right?"

Everyone sort of froze at the question that left Raven's lips; it _was_ something that they wanted answers to but kind of just forgot in all the excitement. Reaching into his pocket, Raziel pulled out the broken remains of his communicator which looked like it was crushed by something heavy. The Titans turned their gaze to Terra who scratched her head sheepishly.

"I...kinda broke it when Raziel tried to talk me into coming back. He kinda wouldn't take no for an answer so he's been following me around ever since," Terra answers with a blush. Before the Titans could ask more about that event, her stomach rumbled loudly, much to the amusement of the Team. "Ah...ha ha ha..."

"Don't worry, Terra! I'll make you the best Tofu delight you've ever had!"

"No, man! She's gonna have Cy's Meat Lover's surprise!"

"Oh, I must see if the Glorp has fermented! You simply must..."

Raven and Raziel stared off at their teammates retreating figures as they dragged off a not so unwilling Terra for a feast. Giving a snort of amusement, Raziel started to follow when Raven suddenly grabbed his hand. "Raven?" he asked quizzically. As he turned around, he suddenly felt a hand slap his face. The fact that it was enhanced with her dark power made it sting even more as his head nearly turned 90-degrees.

"That was for making m...us worry about you," came the emotionless tone.

Rubbing his sore cheek, he gave a mirthless smirk as he turned back to face her. "I suppose I deserved th..." Raziel failed to complete his sentence as the same hand pulled down his scarf allowing a pair of soft lips to land on his. It was brief and chaste but it felt just as deep as the one Jinx had given him those weeks ago.

"That was for coming back."

Before he could reply to that, Raven immediately pushed herself off and began walking. His mind still in shock, all he could do was watch her walk towards the exit as if nothing had occurred, leaving him alone in the stadium and wondering what the hell just happened. Raising his fingers to his lips, he still felt Raven's lingering presence which caused his expression to darken; this wouldn't bode well for either of them. The look then vanished as quickly as it had come as he shrugged and headed towards the Tower. He paused mid-stride as his foot hit a stray piece of metal laying on the floor. Upon closer inspection, he realized it to be a piece or armor. One of several, in fact, that lay strewn across the floor. He recognized it as belonging to the Mechanic he had helped earlier which begged the question; "Where's Mechanic?" He hoped he had left before that little...scene...not that he was embarrassed about it or anything. He just didn't like people spying on potential blackmail material.

T-T-T

Down in the crater where Atlas had fallen, a figure stood over the robot's prone body with dead eyes, almost unemotional eyes but if one were to look it would have almost seemed...happy. Atlas groaned as he struggled to look at the figure. All he saw was an outline as a spotlight was shining directly behind the person but he knew well enough who it was. "Mechanic...refit..."

"You don't own me anymore," the person droned, tossing the belt of tools just out of Atlas reach before walking off, leaving the robot struggling to reach for the replacement parts. As the sun came over the horizon, the girl closed her eyes as she let the warmth touch her pale skin. For the first time in a long time, Gadget felt free.

-To be continued-

Whew. Finally got the chapter out! Yes, it's an OC but I really didn't like Spike in the original series anyway :p Plus, who knows how much havoc I can wreck with Gadget in there?

As a preview of things to come, here's a (very) short snippet of the next chapter:

**Next on Souls Entwined:**

(Burp!) Terra rubbed her full belly as she finished off the rest of Starfire's cuisine. "Man, that was great! Your cooking is the best, Star!"

"Oh, glorious! I had thought the fungus would grow uneaten without your patronage!" the Tamaranian cheered, oblivious to the nauseated looks of her teammates behind her.

(AHEM!) Robin coughed, more to stop his unsettled stomach than to actually call attention. "That's all fine and good but we're kinda curious what happened."

"Yeah, dude," Beastboy said with just a tad more curiosity than usual. "Even your costume changed."

Terra looked to Raziel who also seemed uneasy at the question. The pale teen let out a tired sigh before turning to the rest of the team. "I suppose we _do_ owe an explanation."

Placing down the utensils she had been using, Terra move the plates out of the way as her tone grew serious. "Well...it's like this..."

T-T-T

And that's all I got for now :p Thanks again to everyone who's stayed with me so far. And for those who eagerly await it, the Omakes!

**Omake:**

As Raven arrived at the tower, she felt the need to slap herself as she wondered what in the nine hells possessed her to do that. Then her other 'selves' reminded her of the kiss that Jen had given Raziel and insisted that it was simply leveling the playing field. She immediately tuned them out with that comment as she focused her attention on the bag she had come across in the stadium. Honestly, who would leave a wig and contacts in that place? And they looked practically new too so they couldn't have been abandoned that long. And what was this bottle?

T-T-T

Jinx cursed as she was about to turn out the lights. She had completely forgotten her change of clothes. Muttering a few obscenities, she resolved to get Gizmo to make her a little traveling case. Maybe something like a little ring that contained all her clothes and the like. What pissed her off the most was that she had also had a sample of her special 'brew' inside that bag. Oh well, she would have to try to make it again the next time she was at work. It's not like such a small amount would cause any trouble.

T-T-T

"Raven? What are you doing with those handcuffs? Why are you grinning like that? And why did you ask Cyborg to soundproof your room?"

Needless to say, Raziel _did_ find out why Raven asked for the soundproofing.

**Omake2:**

"Where's Mechanic?" Raziel wondered? He hoped he had left before that little ...scene...not that he was embarrassed about it or anything. He just didn't like people spying on potential blackmail material.

Unbeknownst to Raziel, a pair of eyes _did_ see the whole scene and was grinning madly, all the while scribbling something into a little black notebook. This was perfect material for his latest book. Now all he had to do was find other...research materials. Who knew humans took to those kind of stories like fish to water? The sales of the book easily financed his domicile and then some. With that, Kain dispersed into a multitude of bats, searching for more 'research material' for Icha-Icha Paradise volume 2.

**Omake3:**

"That was for making m...us worry about you," came the emotionless tone.

Rubbing his sore cheek, he gave a mirthless smirk as he turned back to face her. "I suppose I deserved th..." Raziel failed to complete his sentence as the same hand pulled down his scarf allowing a pair of soft lips to land on his. It was brief and chaste but it felt just as deep as the one Jinx had given him those weeks ago.

"That was for coming back."

Before he could reply to that, Raven immediately grabbed his scarf and pulled him down to her, planting her lips once more on his and...was that her tongue? And when did she get his shirt off? And what the hell was he doing on a bed? When did she teleport them? And why were her eyes glowing red? "Err...Raven?"

"And this is for two weeks of frustration that you caused your mistress," came the primal (and not that he would admit it, but sexy) growl.

"Eeeep..."

That night was one of the longest continued to remain unsolved power outages in the history of Jump City.


	25. Somewhere I Belong

Soul's Entwined

**Soul's Entwined**

Disclaimer: The Souls Entwined story is my own concept. All characters are owned by their respective creators.

© 2007

Thanks so much for the reviews from **anon(), Raziel-Tepes, duke2, inq101, Raven-Of-Alaska, Dragon260, **and** mastersam**. A warm welcome as well to new readers **inq101, Sharkteeth, Korraganitar the NightShadow, Dragon260, M87Epyon, Raistlinrains, and mastersam**.  So many new fans!

And now, on with the story!

**Somewhere I Belong**

"No, really, you don't need to," Terra tried to refuse as she was dragged to the main hall.

"But I insist, friend Terra. We must have a celebration of you and Raziel's return!"

"No, really. You don't need to," Raven deadpans, inwardly hoping that the girl doesn't as she wasn't in the mood for grocery shopping again.

Suffice to say once Starfire got an idea in her head it was pretty hard to talk her out of it. There soon was the sound of pots and pans flying about as well as the happy humming of a Tamaranian folk song (Raven had said that it was best to slowly introduce it to the team by humming first and it appeared to be working). She, of course, missed the thumbs up sign her teammates gave Raven as she went about preparing the items loosely called food.

Seeing that disaster had been temporarily averted, Raven took a seat on her favorite spot by the window and began to meditate on the last few hours. She was tired, irritated, and hungry (not enough to eat Starfire's food, though) but she was strangely content. Raziel was back, having successfully convinced Terra to return with him.

'_Raziel.'_

Her concentration was broken as she recalled what she had done in the stadium. What the hell had gotten into her?

_('Or rather what did you want _in_ you?')_ a voice in her head jeered.

Fighting the flush that was coming to her cheeks, she tried to distract herself by continuing her meditations but given where she was and who was around her it was really a futile task. Not that it would stop her from trying, anyway. Thankfully, Beastboy and Cyborg had joined the Tamaranian in hopes of at least making something edible for the rest of them. While all this was happening, Terra laughed almost melodically, the sad and insecure girl who had come to the tower those weeks ago was no longer there. Instead, it seemed to be a girl who was completely comfortable with herself and if she were to haphazard a guess, fully in control of her powers.

She had never been that envious in a long time.

Apparently Terra noticed her staring as she turned to face her. "Hey, Rae! Come join the fun!"

"No, I'm not really one for food fights," she replies in her usual monotone, closing her eyes once more to tune out their antics. Unfortunately Terra had decided otherwise as she hooked her arm, intending to bring her into the fold. As soon as their arms made contact she was immediately hit by a sharp wave of pain that sent her reeling to the floor.

"Raven!" "Friend Raven!"

A multitude of concerned voices called out to her but she quickly steadied herself. "I'm fine. Just...had a dizzy spell," she lies through her teeth. To be honest, it had hurt like hell but she wasn't about to tell them that; at least not until she could find out the reason for it. It had felt like someone had stabbed her eyes with a hot poker, minus any actual burning, of course. She could sense the worry coming off Terra and had to force a smile to assuage the girl. Convinced that everything was fine, Terra resumed her viewing of the chaos called the Titans kitchen but another had taken her place beside the pale girl.

"Everything ok," Raziel asks.

Raven blinked in surprise at his presence; she hadn't even noticed him approach her much less even see him enter the room. Had he even been in the room? "I told you, I'm fine," she deadpans. To her irritation, he simply raised an eyebrow at her statement. The particular speed it went up and the angle his typical 'I know you better than that' response. "It's nothing," she insisted, her own typical response which meant 'drop it.'

Drop it he did, strangely enough. Normally he would have pestered her a bit more but for some odd reason he just gave a smile and went on his way, taking a spot beside the terrakinetic girl and watching the chaos unfold

(CRACK!)

Robin glanced at the window across the room. There was now a crack in the supposedly reinforced glass of the Tower. He would have to speak to Bruce about getting it replaced.

T-T-T

Much later, the table was officially declared a disaster area. Well, mainly the section where Terra sat, but a disaster area nonetheless. All around her were empty bowls and plates which had been ravished by the bottomless pit blonde. The areas in front of the other Titans were nearly untouched as they were all still staring at the pile before Terra.

(Burp!) Terra let out a loud belch as she rubbed her full belly, finally having finished off the rest of Starfire's cuisine. "Man, that was great! Your cooking is the best, Star!"

"Oh, glorious! I had thought the fungus would grow uneaten without your patronage!" the Tamaranian cheered, oblivious to the nauseated looks of her teammates behind her. "Friends, you have barely touched your own food. Is your meatball deluxe and tofu surprise not to your liking?" the girl asked.

"Err...we'll eat it later," Cyborg and Beastboy answer, the two actually surprised that they would turn down their own cooking. As much as they wanted to eat, simply watching Terra had caused them to lose much of their appetite.

(AHEM!) Robin coughed, more to stop his unsettled stomach than to actually call attention. "That's all fine and good but we're kinda curious what happened. You _have_ been gone for a little over a week and just pop in all of a sudden," he adds, conveniently dropping the fact that without them they would probably still be in Atlas' trophies.

"Yeah, dude," Beastboy said with just a tad more curiosity than usual as he eyed the two suspiciously. "A week is an awfully long time alo..."

(WHACK!)

"Your clothes have changed," Raven stated, removing her hand from where she had smacked Beastboy.

"Yeah, we kinda needed them after..."

"After?"

Terra looked to Raziel who also seemed uneasy at the question. The pale teen let out a tired sigh before turning to the rest of the team. "I suppose we _do_ owe an explanation."

Placing down the utensils she had been using, Terra move the plates out of the way as her tone grew serious. "Well...it's like this..." The Titans all seemed to lean closer as they hung on Terra's words as she suddenly had an ominous air around her. "See, when a needle and thread love each other..."

"We meant your disappearance!" Robin growled, just barely fighting the urge to fall face first onto the floor.

"Oh, _that_. Well, if you'd have let me finish, I would have explained how I beat the crap out of blue boy over here."

"I seem to recall it much differently," Raziel countered, an amused smirk on his face which was returned by the blonde.

"_Aaaanyway_, I sort of, kinda, maybe caused a really really big sinkhole during our fight..."

"Which took us over a week to finally get out of," Raziel adds, eyes narrowing somewhat at Terra as she blushed in embarrassment.

"Hey! It's not my fault! You did all that hocus-pocus thing when you held me and I couldn't use my powers any more! You're lucky they came back when they did or we'd _still_ be down there," she huffs in mock indignation.

That little tidbit about Raziel canceling out Terra's powers caught Raven's attention. She felt something inside her clench at the thought of Raziel being able to suppress someone else's powers. Before she could voice her feelings on the matter Beastboy had thought to say his.

"What?! You made Terra lose her powers? How could you?" the green changeling accused, pointing a finger at the culprit in question who simply pointed at himself with a 'What? Me?' expression. Before Beastboy could rant further he was once more smacked on the side of the head by Raven.

"She said her powers came back," the pale girl reproaches.

"Hey, what did Beastboy do to you, Raven? Are you all right Beastboy?" The girl rubs the spot where Raven had hit the teen, much to Beastboy's enjoyment.

"Buwaaaaah...Never been better," he manages to blurt, giving the blonde a 'nice guy' pose.

Satisfied that he was ok, Terra turns her attention back to the Titans who were now curious on the meaning behind her particular statement. "After we got trapped, I was too scared to use my powers again but Raz here forced me just 'face my fears and get it over with.'" Smirking at the boy, Raziel let out a huff of mock indignation to which Terra could only giggle at. "My control's never been better since."

"Control?" The looks of incredulity on the Titans' faces, however slight, apparently affected Terra as she frowned all so slightly. Rising to the challenge, she turned to Robin with a confident smirk.

"Care to test it out?"

T-T-T

Robin was slightly hesitant as he entered the configuration parameters into the newly built obstacle course's computer. After Terra's last (and at the time, only) run, they had rebuilt the course to be sturdier and just a tad more difficult. If just by a tad, one meant several leagues ahead, but then again this was the mind of someone trained by the Batman. "Are you sure about this, Terra?" he asks again. The highest setting of the previous course didn't even compare to the current 'low' setting so he was rightly justified in his concerns. Terra, however, was either oblivious to it or chose to ignore it entirely.

"Bring it on, bird boy!"

At that, Robin had to suppress the urge to through a one of his throwing darts at the girl as he absolutely hated that moniker. His hand hovered above the button to set the difficulty higher but he stopped himself from doing it. At least he would have had Raziel not suddenly stepped up beside him with a knowing look.

"Go for it. I think she'll surprise you."

Raven, who was off to the side with a neutral expression, suddenly felt the same sensation from earlier. Why was Raziel acting so familiar with the blonde? Granted they had no one but each other (supposedly) for the past week but a week wasn't enough for them to have gotten to know each other _that_ well, right? Not to mention the fact that there was no way Terra could have gotten control of her powers in such a short time frame.

"All right, Terra. Go!"

Pushing the unfamiliar thoughts and sensations to the side, Raven focused her attention on Terra to see just what it was she was bragging about. She expected her to levitate a boulder like before but instead the girl started running through the course. When the traps started activating, that was when everyone's eyes grew wide in shock. The first attack consisted of steel columns that shot up out of the ground in a random pattern yet Terra simply moved to the side as if she knew where each one was coming from, her focus never wavering from the goal up ahead. She had to admit, the girl had improved her athletic skills from before but it still didn't prove a thing about her control over her powers.

As if sensing their questions, Terra twisted in place, her body shifting into a stance as she raised her arms in front of her. Her arms were bent at the elbows and her palms were facing the sky. To the untrained eye, it looked like she was carrying an invisible tray were it not for the odd position her feet were in. Robin, however, was not one of those people.

"Is that...?" (1)

Terra immediately went into what appeared to be a kata as she gave a palm thrust, her move was immediately followed by a wall of rock that shot up to block several explosive disks that had come from her side. Again, each of her movements and attacks were timed so precisely that it was uncanny. She then slipped into a dash, heading towards the familiar steel walls that she had once upon a time thrashed with her powers.

Everyone could tell that she wasn't running fast enough to get past the doors before they closed. Beastboy was nervously biting his fingernails all the while cheering Terra on. It seemed almost surreal as Terra reached the first gate just as the steel panel was coming down. Once more, she shifted into a stance, jabbing her heel into the ground which caused large stone pillars to shoot upwards, holding open the archway as she slipped through the space she had created. "Woohoo! Go, Terra!!"

As Terra neared the end of the course, she half-expected to find the familiar explosive discs from before but given that they were used earlier, she was prepared for something a bit more unique. To her surprise, that uniqueness came in the form of four robots that popped up from hidden panels in the ground (2). All four charged at her but the smirk never left her face as she raised her hands in front of her. As yellow energy coalesced in her hands, the ground began to rumble in apparent obedience to their mistress which caused the machines to slightly lose their footing. With one jerking motion of her arms, the circular chunks of earth where the robots were standing on shot up into the air which left her clear to pass the finish line. Without turning around, she gives a flick of her hair which was immediately followed by the crashing sound metal on rock as the four robots from earlier plummeted into the ground.

The Titans were wide-eyed at the amount of skill displayed before them. Except for Raven, however, who was alternating her focus between Raziel and Terra. Did the boy have something to do with her sudden skill? He seemed confident of her skills earlier. And why was the thought of it making it hard for her to breathe?

Cyborg was the first to visually recover as he looked at the timer on the control screen. "Three minutes, seven seconds. Not as fast as your last run," the metallic Titan jeered.

"Wasn't going for speed," came the confident reply as she grinned at Cyborg. She was immediately rushed by Beastboy who looked simply flabbergasted yet far from speechless.

"Wow, Terra! That was amazing! When you went whoosh! And that cool martial arts move! And the..."

"Aww, thanks Beastboy," the terrakinetic gushes as she hugged the green changeling.

"Beastboy's right," Robin added, a smile of approval on his face as approached the blonde. "You have improved...a lot, I might add."

"Well, yeah. I mean, if I'm going to be a Teen Titan, I needed to good." Her statement brought a lot of stares and an awkward silence from those gathered around her. "What? You _do_ still want me to be a Titan, right? That's why you sent Raz to bring me back?"

"Yeah...about that..." Raziel began uneasily as all eyes shifted to him. He turned to Raven for some assistance but all she did was huff and walk away.

"You all look like you decided on it already so whatever I say isn't going to matter," she intones emotionlessly. As she left, she could hear the whole team's enthusiasm at Terra's wish to join them. It really wasn't worth her effort to try to dissuade anyone; after all, she _had_ agreed with Raziel to bring her in for Beastboy's sake but why did it feel like something was amiss? She resigned herself to meditating in her room alone as usual when she heard someone call out her name in the distance.

"Raven."

Pretending she didn't hear it, she continued on her way, not really wishing to confront the boy given his behavior earlier and the fact that she still hadn't gotten over what _she_ had done a few hours ago.

"Raven!"

It wasn't the fact that he called out much stronger than earlier that made her stop. It wasn't even the fact that he had placed his hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong?"

His voice was no longer muffled, indicating that he had lowered his scarf for them to talk. The few times that he had taken it off were when he didn't want them to talk as Titans, but as regular people. Of course, it didn't help that now it further reminded her of the k...k...thing she had done but she would honor is request. "What is it?" she asks, not willing to turn around but still lowering her cowl.

"You've been acting a bit strange and I was getting...concerned."

Raven silently berated herself; she hadn't known she was that obvious in her actions. She debated what exactly she was going to say but finally decided she needed to know what was going on between the two. "You...you knew Terra was going to ace the course, didn't you?" she asks.

"I suppose I did. Having no one else to talk to for that long kind of forces you to get to know each other," he answers with a hint of confusion in his voice. That was kind of a random question.

"I see. And I suppose you had a hand in getting her skills to where they were?" She _was_ curious as to how the girl had gotten so good. Maybe whatever it was could help her with her own little problem.

"Well, it's like this..."

Before Raven could hear his story, the ground started shaking violently. It wasn't that strong or long enough to cause any damage but apparently it was strong enough to cause her to stumble backwards. When he caught her in his arms, she had to let out a loud gasp, once more reliving the same shooting pain that she experienced when Terra had touched her. This time, the pain was accompanied by a single bloody image. There was a figure laying in a pool of blood, apparently alive as it was doubled over in pain but she couldn't make out who it was.

"What happened? Are you all right?"

"I...I'm fine. I just tripped when that earthquake hit," she answers, hoping he couldn't sense her increased heart rate at the moment. Turning her head, she was shocked to see him looking off into the distance towards the rest of the team, a concerned look on his face as he replaced his scarf.

"Maybe we need to check on Terra,"

"R...right," she says in agreement, a sudden feeling of melancholy coming over her as she watched him run off towards the blond.

T-T-T

"I told you it wasn't me," Terra huffed in annoyance. Honestly, just cause a few earthquakes before and people think you're always to blame.

"You have to admit, the timing of them and your arrival is a bit suspicious," Raven stated.

"I was tunneling that day!" came the embarrassed retort.

"Tunneling?" Robin immediately brought up a map of the quakes and like before they lined up in a pattern. "This isn't natural," he stated.

(COUGH!)"Told ya!"(COUGH).

"Given the timing of the quakes and the location, the next point should be here," Robin states, pointing to a section of the map while ignoring the veiled retort from the blond. "Titans, go!" As he rushed to the door, he noticed that Terra hadn't moved from her spot and was simply watching them. "Aren't you coming?"

"Does this mean I'm in?" she asked excitedly.

"It means we need as much help as we can get."

Terra's eyes immediately lit up as she rushed after the team locking arms with Raziel as she dragged the boy like a rag doll. "Yeah! Time to kick some ass!"

Robin had to smile at the girl's enthusiasm as she ran past them. Turning to Raven, he was surprised to actually see her frowning. Not her usual 'leave me alone or I'll kill you' frown but one of actual anger. "Raven? Are you feeling ok?" Almost immediately the scowl left her face as she levitated off the floor.

"I'm fine. Let's go."

T-T-T

Raven hovered over the area, her eyes scanning the horizon for any signs of the thing causing the earthquakes. The only thing really causing a disturbance was the loud complaints of two of their members.

"Well? Where's this big bad thing that's causing the quakes?" Cyborg groused, itching to pound Slade's latest plot whatever it was.

"Yeah, Robin! Where..."

Raven noticed that Beastboy stopped mid-tirade, something he rarely did, and glance at Terra. "Terra?"

"Shhh…" the girl interrupts as she seemed to be in deep concentration over something. Kneeling down, she placed a hand on the ground and was eerily silent for several moments. The silence was broken when she suddenly pointed to a spot in front of her. "Twenty meters! Incoming!"

The Titans immediately cleared the area at Terra's warning. Almost immediately a giant mechanical drill burst forth from the ground. At first they thought it was simply a drilling machine but as segment after segment poured out they realized the thing was a lot bigger than they had anticipated. It easily dwarfed a twenty-storey building as it reared what was apparently its head, the drill retreating inside to reveal pincer-like jaws.

"That's a big worm," Raven commented dryly.

"Meh. I've seen bigger," Terra responded, grinning madly as yellow energy coalesced into her hands. Raising her arms in a scooping motion, she raised several car-sized chunks of concrete into the air, shifting her body into a horse-stance before releasing a punch, the action of which launched the stone projectiles at the machine. Unfortunately, stone rarely proved to be of much effect against metal as they clanged harmlessly on the outer shell. "That didn't sound right," she said with a frown.

"Titans! Move!"

The familiar battle cry having been left out, the Titans immediately scattered as a red beam cut a swath of destruction along the city block. Raven kept a watchful eye on her teammates as they moved to surround the thing, ready to protect them if needed. Beastboy had morphed into a triceratops so he was fine. Cyborg had picked up a car (she would have to remind him about property damage) while Raziel was running up a wall...

"What?!" She had to blurt out her surprise as she hadn't seen him do such a thing before. Quickly banishing her shock, she was able to notice that he was actually using his momentum to give him the illusion of walking on walls, leaping from wall to streetlight to another wall which propelled him higher and higher until he had leapt higher than the worm was tall.

"Terra!"

As if they had been working together for ages, Terra turned her head to the side, a giant stone mallet bursting out of the ground beside her. A wave of her arm later, the construct shot towards Raziel who deftly caught the weapon in one hand. His other hand gripping the base, he swung the oversized hammer onto the thing's head, causing it to slam into the street below.

"Another masterpiece ruined," Terra sighed in mock resignation as her creation shattered upon impact.

"Maybe if you made them stronger, they wouldn't break so often," Raziel retorted with a smirk as he landed beside the geomancer.

Raven frowned at the scene but couldn't tear her eyes away from it; both Terra and Raziel were acting strangely. It bothered her to no end like...she still couldn't place what it was that she was feeling; just that it bugged her.

Returning her attention to the battle, she saw Beastboy head butt (and rebound rather painfully off) the fallen machine. It recognized the threat as the port where laser had fired from began to glow brightly. Swooping down, she prepared to levitate the boy off but was suddenly bowled over by Terra. The blonde girl looked shocked for a brief moment but quickly turned her attention back to Beastboy as she summoned a pillar of rock, moving the changeling out of harms way as the red beam once more razed the ground. Almost immediately after that she felt a wave of anger emanate from Terra followed by a burst of energy.

"No one does that to Beastboy!"

The blonde then stomped her foot into the ground, her powers tearing a chunk of concrete out of the street that was larger than the mechanical worm's head. There were no illusions as to what Terra was going to do with it. Normally she would have just let the girl do it but all of a sudden she sensed something inside the machine they were fighting; something not of this world. As the girl swung her arms to propel the boulder forward, Raven wrapped her powers around it and pulled.

Terra swung her arms, her powers propelling the giant boulder forward. No one attacked Beastboy like that and got away with it! However, before she could even complete the motion she felt something hold the rock in its place.

"Stop, Terra. We don't know what will happen if we destroy it recklessly!" Raven berated the girl.

"I know what I'm doing, so let go!" Terra countered, her body now shifting out of whatever martial arts stance she was using as she 'pulled' even harder.

Raven's eyes widened slightly as she felt the boulder nudge in Terra's direction. She hadn't expected the girl to be this powerful. Still, she had to keep her from launching the rock until she could find out exactly what it was she sensed inside the thing. Hoping to get Terra to back down, she glared at the girl but couldn't tell what was going on behind her eyes; not while she wore those damnable goggles. When she felt the boulder get yanked even more, she had her 'answer.' Pulling even harder, she had to smirk to herself as she felt the boulder shift in her direction but her victory was short lived as Raziel suddenly appeared beside her, grabbing her hand and breaking her concentration.

Terra, now lacking any form of resistance, stumbled backwards as her rock propelled itself into low earth orbit. Gazing up in worry, she idly wondered if that was a bad thing.

-At an undisclosed JSDF base-

"Commander! We have confirmation of a low earth orbit projectile leaving our airspace!"

"Where is it coming from? Tokyo? Okinawa?"

"No sir! Nerima!"

"Oh, ignore it then," the commander answered in an offhand manner.

His subordinate, having been recently transferred, was puzzled at the non-standard reaction to the potential threat. "But sir..." The man paused as a second LEO object apparently hit the first, the two now disappearing off his screen like they were never there.

"See, my boy, when Nerima is involved, we learn to let sleeping dogs lie.

-And now back to our regularly scheduled program-

Seeing Terra watch her weapon fly off with a worried expression, Raziel sighed in relief as the power struggle had been interrupted. He really didn't need _that_ happening at this point. Turning his attention back to Raven, whatever he was going to ask the girl seized in his throat as he saw the look of betrayal in her eyes. "Raven, I..."

"It's getting away!"

Raven immediately tore her and away from his and walked off before he could get another word in, heading towards the hole where Robin had said the machine had escaped to. He let out a tired sigh, one that didn't go unnoticed by one observant blonde as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Don't forget why we came back," she says.

As Slade's voice came over Robin's communicator, Raziel's eyes narrowed behind his mask as he let out a low growl. "Don't worry. I haven't," he answered before following his teammates down the tunnel.

T-T-T

Raven walked slightly in front of Raziel, not because she had meant to but because the boy just hovered behind her like he wanted to talk to her or something. Not that she would talk to him after what he did. Why was he protecting Terra anyway? Subtly glancing to her rear, she saw the blonde talking to Beastboy in hushed whispers. Barely here a day and already she had everyone wrapped around her little finger, flaunting her newly controlled powers and all, taking Raziel for herself…

_(Fu fu fu. So she finally admits it to herself?)_ a voice in her head sneered.

'_Th...that's not what I meant,'_ she countered hotly, although the conviction in her voice left much to be desired.

_(Right. And you just happened to kiss him when he came back last night.)_

(CRACK)

"Careful, everyone. Apparently this tunnel isn't stable," Robin calls out as a cracking sound reverberated throughout the tunnel.

Raven immediately reigned in her emotions and silently berated herself for her lack of control. She was only welcoming him back. That kiss didn't mean anything. Besides, she couldn't afford to let herself feel those kind of things (especially not when they were nearly half a kilometer below sea level). Thankfully the voice had decided to keep silent as it valued its survival over taunting her for now. Looking back to Raziel, she saw the boy was waving at her which caused her to give a huff of irritation. _Now_ he seemed to pay attention to her. And what was he saying about a...

(SMACK)

"...dead end."

Rubbing her sore cheek (and pride), Raven ignored the shocked stares of her teammates and focused her attention on the cavern wall that she had walked into. "Yup. It's a dead end," she confirms, nodding her head as if it was something of profound importance.

"..." The rest of team didn't want to comment on what they saw, putting it down to a hallucination from being that far underground. Yeah...that was it...oxygen deprivation and all.

Terra, for one, was being advised by Beastboy to keep quiet. When Raven was like this, it was best to let sleeping dragons lie. Following the advice given to her, she looked around the cavern with a frown as she had come to the same conclusion; they couldn't have just vanished.

"Hold on. I'm picking up something underground. Waaay underground," Cyborg reported. Pushing a few of the buttons on his arm, his eyes widened at what his sensors were telling him. "There's a lot of electronic chatter going on down there. And I mean _a lot._ There's also..."

"A heartbeat," Terra added, her hand on the ground as she appeared to be in deep concentration. Her head shot up almost immediately as she turned to the Titans. "Everyone move to the center!"

Raven was surprised when Raziel rushed at her all of a sudden, carrying her bridal style and leaping into the air. "Wh...what the hell are you...?" The words caught in her throat as the tunneling machine suddenly burst forth from the wall where she had been standing. The rest of the team had huddled in the middle of the cavern as a second...no, a third machine appeared. The things circled around them like predators corralling their prey. Everyone braced themselves for an attack when the three worm-like machines suddenly turned and tunneled off in a random direction.

"Hey! Superheroes here! You know? To fight?" Beastboy yelled which caused Terra to giggle.

"Maybe you scared them off?" the blonde grinned, much to Beastboy's ego.

"Ugh...Flirting later," Raven intoned dryly. Terra seemed to glare at her from behind her dark goggles but suddenly grinned at her like the cat that ate the canary.

"Says the newly wed couple."

At that one comment, Raven felt herself undergo a full-body blush as she realized she was still being carried by Raziel. It didn't help that she had reflexively put her arms around his neck when he suddenly leapt into the air earlier. Glaring at him (or rather failing to do so given her jumbled state of emotions), she idly noticed that even though his face was half-hidden by his scarf there was a trace of pink on his pale skin. Did that mean...

"We're going to have to split up. One drill was bad enough but three can do serious damage wherever Slade sends them," Robin interrupted, much to Raven's relief as she didn't want to complete that train of thought. "Raven, Terra, you're with me. We're going to have to tunnel down to Slade's base and stop him from there. Cyborg, take the rest of the team with you. You'll need every bit of firepower to stop those drills or at the very least slow them down until we can stop whatever's controlling them."

"Got it, Rob. Titans, let's go! That means you've got to let go of Raven, Raz."

Nearly dropping her in apparent embarrassment, Raziel set her down before rushing off after the rest of the team, leaving her with Terra and Robin, the former of which smirking at her. "Not a word," she growled, summoning her powers and releasing them in a beam that tore through the solid bedrock.

"All I'm saying is that you should be more honest with yourself," the blonde replied, golden energy leaving her hands as they commanded the ground in front of her to part.

Not really eager to discuss her personal life with the newcomer, Raven poured more power into her blast as she increased her pace. To her chagrin, Terra simply kept up with her. "What happened to all your fancy martial arts moves? Was that just for show?" she deadpans, hoping to steer away the conversation.

"That's for when I need absolute precision. This is just plain brute force so I don't really need it for that. And you're sneaky for trying to switch topics." When Raven wouldn't respond to that, she gave a tired sigh and continued to bore her way through the bedrock.

The next few minutes were filled with an awkward silence. Robin apparently sensed the tension between the two girls and did NOT want to get caught in between them, only speaking up when he needed to give minor course corrections towards their target. Raven really didn't care as it gave her the silence she desired. At least it _was_ silent till Terra opened her mouth again.

"So...there's really nothing going on between you and Raz?" Terra asks nonchalantly.

"N...what business of it of yours, anyway?" she counters, not liking the direction this was going.

"Oh, no real reason," came the sing-song answer.

Frowning at the response, Raven unconsciously pushed a lot more power into her attack, blasting through the last few meters of rock with a loud bang. Surprised briefly by the sudden rush of air, she hops through the opening and had to reign in her shock at what she saw; the place was huge! How could something like this have been constructed without anyone finding out? In the center of the cavern was a huge holographic display depicting what appeared to be Titans tower. Before she could get a closer look a familiar voice reverberated off the walls.

"Ah, Robin and the Titans. How nice of you to finally join me."

"Slade." Robin barely held his fury in check upon seeing his adversary right before him. The man's arms were behind his back like he either wasn't going to fight or that he thought it wasn't necessary to use them at all. Either way, he knew the man was sneering behind that mask.

"As the saying goes, 'Welcome to my Parlor,'" Slade intoned tauntingly. With those words, the three mechanical worms burst through the walls above him, defying gravity with rocket propulsion not seen earlier. They joined into one giant ring, circling the roof of the cavern as red beams of energy tore into the rocky roof.

'_What the hell? I thought Cyborg was handling it,'_ Robin thought angrily. His eyes never leaving Slade, he pulls out his communicator and flips it open. "Cyborg! What's..."

"Robin! Whatever you guys are doing down there, you'd better hurry! These things are attacking Titans Tower!"

His eyes widening, he takes a closer look at the holographic display and the floating ring above and had to grit his teeth. "Cyborg, they're trying to sink the Tower! There's more of them down here drilling upwards. We'll try to stop the set on our end," Robin answers, cutting off the signal as he pocketed the device. "Raven! Terra! Take down those worms! Slade is _mine_." With that, Robin dashes towards the orchestrator of the quakes with a fierce determination, leaving the two girls to figure out the device.

Said pair hesitated briefly before trusting Robin to be all right. Turning their attention to the ring above, each of summoned their powers and fired them at the mechanical construct. Unfortunately, Raven dark bolts of energy were too small to have any significant effect on the thing's metallic hide. Terra was in a similar state as the rocks she could pull out of the walls weren't large enough to cause more than a scratch; she couldn't pull out anything bigger for fear of causing a cave in.

Ignoring Terra's grumbling about bad construction, Raven runs to the center of the structure. If anything, the painfully obvious control panel in the center was probably what was running the whole operation. Raven moved to try to deactivate the device but stopped mid-stride as she sensed Terra's powers flare. Whirling around, she caught the rock that Terra was about to throw and glared at the girl. "What do you think you're doing?" the girl admonished.

"Hello? Smash the control, save the Tower ring any bells?"

"No. For all we know smashing this might just make things worse!"

Terra hesitated for a moment but acquiesced as she lowered the rock. "Fine. We'll do it your way," she sighed.

"Don't do me any favors," Raven deadpanned back. Focusing her attention to the control panel, she tries to hack into the system but frowned as it was simply beyond what she knew; Robin was the better technophile between the two of them but with him occupying Slade she really didn't have any choice. Slamming her fist on the keyboard, she once more tries to find any deactivation sequence but found herself being knocked to the ground by Terra. Before she could berate the girl, a giant stalactite came crashing down onto the control center, crushing it completely in a spectacular shower of rubble and sparks. As if Murphy's law had decided to have a field day, the beams that were drilling upwards suddenly increased in force, causing the whole cavern to shake in protest.

"Guess that means my plan probably would have been a bad idea," Terra says out loud.

Raven opened her mouth to retort but before she could a loud rumbling reverberated throughout the area. Immediately turning her gaze to the ceiling, she saw the entire roof begin to collapse. "Robin!" she shouts out. Scanning the area, she found the boy wonder swinging down from the ruins of an elevator shaft; he was safe. Mortifying as it was, she then grabs Terra's hand to pull her to her feet. "We have to go. The whole place is collapsing." She was barely able to take two steps when Terra tore her arm away.

"Not if I have anything to say about it."

Once more, Raven saw Terra's powers coalesce into her hands, bright yellow energies flowing through them as she raised her hands skyward. "What are you...!?" The sudden shockwave emanating from the blonde knocked her back as a beam of energy shot towards the falling tower. As the moving object met the 'unstoppable' force, the entire area seemed to shake in protest as Terra tried to stop several hundred tons of rock and steel from crashing down on them. For a while, it did, as the collapse was stopped in its tracks. Unfortunately for them it appeared that it wasn't enough as the Tower's foundations slowly started its descent once more. Sensing the unyielding determination in Terra, Raven had to huff in irritation as she summoned her own dark powers and joined the fray.

"Raven...you...?" Terra was able to spare a few words of surprise at the pale girl's actions.

"If we're going to save our home, I hope you have something else in mind other than holding it up till the end of time," she answered simply as she poured her power into lifting the building. "Even if we manage to get the tower back up, it's not going to stay there on its own," Raven adds between huffs, her stamina draining fast with the amount of effort she was expending. Even with the two of them pushing as hard as they could, it wasn't enough to save their home.

"Hehehe...I kinda didn't think that far ahead," Terra manages to chuckle, beads of sweat forming on her brow as the same fatigue was making itself known on her body. A light bulb seemed to go off in her head as she looked down at her feet. "Hey, Raven? Think you can hold this for a minute?"

"What do you...GAH!!" Raven felt her whole body seize as Terra suddenly cut off her support, the whole weight now falling solely on her shoulders. Gritting her teeth, she turned an angry glare at the blonde who now had her hands stretched out with her palms facing the floor. Before she could ask what she was doing, she suddenly felt another set of rumbling from beneath her feet. Looking down between the floor's steel grating, her eyes widened as she saw a faint glow coming from deep below.

"Sorry. Slade made this thing much deeper than I expected," Terra answered as if to answer the unspoken question. She then raised one hand skyward, releasing a bright beam of energy to support the pale goth in saving the Tower. The other hand she kept facing downwards.

It was then that Raven realized what the terrakinetic was planning to do. "Listen, it's not worth it. Your life isn't worth..." Raven's voice was cut off as falling debris landed all around them, the ground that the Tower was standing on breaking apart as gravity and physics sought to exert their influence on it. She had to move out of the way as a large chunk of rock pierced the spot where she had been standing, a grim reminder of the dangers of staying longer in their futile effort. "Terra, we have to..." her voice caught in her throat as she saw a gash across Terra's brow, blood flowing freely from the wound where she had been struck by other debris. Her goggles lay to her side having apparently been knocked off by the same blow that had caused the wound. _'She didn't move...'_ she realized as she stared in shock at the girl.

As more rocks continued to fall around them, Raven reached for the blonde but suddenly found herself being grabbed by a large stone hand. With her arms trapped to her sides, she could only watch helplessly as she was pulled towards the surface. She could see Terra mouth words that she couldn't hear over the din of the destruction taking place. "TERRA!!"

T-T-T

"Our home..." Starfire cried softly as she buried her face in her hands. Even from across the shore, she could feel the rumbling of the ground as the Tower sank beneath the waves. The rumblings got stronger, signaling the full destruction of what was once Titans Tower which caused the girl to collapse to her knees.

"Starfire...look..."

"I cannot bear to watch..."

"No, I mean _look_!" Cyborg reiterated, yanking the Tamaranian to her feet.

Starfire opened her eyes and saw the Tower slowly rising out of the hole in the sea like a grand resurrection. As it returned to its original position, a powerful shockwave was felt for miles around as it locked back into place. She immediately jumped for joy, picking up Cyborg as she flew him to their island, all the while crying tears of joy throughout the whole flight. Landing on the ground, she was rewarded by the sight of Robin gazing at the Tower. "Robin! Our home is safe! We are victorious and..." she paused as Robin was unresponsive to her comments. "Robin? Where are friend Raven and friend Terra?"

"They...they're not..." Robin couldn't bring himself to finish his statement as he leaned on a large rock.

Starfire looked ready to tear up once more as she covered her mouth in denial. "No...That is not..."

"Terra!"

Everyone's eyes turned towards the voice as the rock Robin had been leaning on burst open, revealing a tired Raven who nearly collapsed to her knees had Raziel not suddenly appeared by her side.

"Raven! You are...!"

"Cyborg! Terra's still down there!" Raven manages to say between gasps.

"How could you leave her, Raven? She may not have been a team member but..." Beastboy was immediately silenced by the goth girl's glare as well as Raziel's, the combination of which was enough to nearly make him wet his pants.

"I didn't leave by choice, or didn't you notice the rock I was stuck in?" she asks sarcastically. Turning her attention back to Cyborg, she froze she saw him shake his head.

"The ground beneath the Tower's completely solid. It's like the hole was never there..."

Everyone grew silent at the analysis; Terra had somehow forced the ground beneath Titans Tower to stabilize, undoing all of the damage Slade's machines had inflicted. They knew that they put their lives on the line every time they put on the mask and cape but never had it seemed more real than today. The somber moment, however, was ruined with a snort from Raziel.

"That was a bit overkill for her," he comments derisively.

The Titans couldn't believe what Raziel was saying, Beastboy more so as he clenched his fists in anger. "You...you...Terra's gone and you have the balls to...!" Beastboy paused as a decayed looking hand burst out of the ground and grabbed his ankle. As such, he did the standard thing for just such an occasion.

"AAAAIEEEEEEEEEEE!! ZOMBIES!!"

Breaking out of the zombie arm's grip, he leapt behind Raziel who was staring at the green changeling with a smirk. Walking up to the hand, which was currently patting the area for something, he grabs it and pulls, revealing a dirty yet very much alive blonde. The 'decayed' portion of her arm crumbled away, revealing itself to be a clay-like material that was covering her.

"(COUGH) About time you pulled me up! Bedrock is _haaaard,_" Terra grumbles as she spit out a few pebbles from her mouth.

"TERRA!"

Terra immediately found herself embraced by Beastboy and Starfire (although she still thought Starfire's hugs should be classified as deadly weapons) as she hugged them back in return.

"We thought you were gone and..."

"Hello? I'm Terra! The Earth is my home. I'm not going to let something as small as a cave-in stop me! MUA HA HA HA!"

Megalomaniac laughter (even an exaggerated one) never sounded so sweet to their ears. With everyone accounted for, they started their trek back to the Tower, plans of repairing whatever was damaged already on their minds. Terra excused herself to shake off the remaining dirt on her clothes and said she would catch up. The Titans seemed to nod and hurriedly headed off, leaving her alone as she dusted herself.

"Man, I think I have dirt where no girl should ever have dirt..." she moaned in disgust as she shook the grime off her clothes. She paused as she sensed a presence behind her. "I know you're there, Raven. Is there something you wanted to ask?" A few moments of silence passed before she got a response out of the goth girl.

"Why did you do what you did?"

Without turning to face her interrogator, Terra gave a sad smile as she looked towards the sun rising over the horizon. "I know what it's like not to have a real home, Raven. I couldn't let you guys experience the same thing."

"Don't give me that bull," she deadpans in response. "You could have killed yourself doing something that stupid. You said you came back to become a Titan but you don't know the first thing about being one. I don't care how much 'in control' you think you are. Titans...watch out for each other. And keep each other from doing stupid things like that."

"Titans...watch out for each other? Do you mean..."

"I still don't think you know what you're getting into but...I'm willing to give you a chance anyway," the pale girl interrupted, cutting off Terra before she could finish her question. Glancing at her communicator briefly, she raised an eyebrow before turning back to face Terra. "Come on. Let's get back to the Tower first."

Before Terra could respond, she suddenly found herself wrapped in Raven's soul self, the sensation of which apparently threw her off as she collapsed upon materializing on the floor. "Hey! What's the big idea..."

"Surprise!"

Turning around, Terra saw the entire Titans team in front of her but still had to raise her eyebrow in curiosity. "Ok...I'm surprised...Raven's teleport thingy threw me off but..."

"They're talking about the room," Raven deadpans, rolling her eyes as the light bulb slowly went off in the blonde's head.

"You...you guys..." Terra choked, appearing to cry as she hugged the green changeling. Although that particular image vanished as her expression immediately changed. "Although all those candles seem a bit much...It's kinda creepy."

"Blame BB. He wanted your room ready right away but we still haven't gotten the Tower's power systems back online," Cyborg answers.

"Hehehe..."

"We have something else for you, Terra," Robin says, handing the girl a new communicator to which the new member could only stare at in surprise.

"Glorious! I shall now prepare a traditional Tamaranian breakfast for our old new friend!"

"Uh, Star..." "Maybe we should help..." "We should make Tofu..."

The males immediately chased after the girl, self-preservation instincts kicking as soon as Starfire mentioned cooking. Raven sighed for the umpteenth time that day as she followed after them. Before she passed through the door she paused and turned to face Terra.

"Welcome home," she intones quietly.

Had Raven stayed a few more moments, she would have heard the communicator's casing creak in protest under Terra's grip.

-To be continued-

Whew...finally finished the chapter. I was supposed to finish it before July but with work swamping me I didn't really have much time to do except sleep . I hate work deadlines...hate all the overtime I had to put in...sigh...really cuts into my writing time badly...Ah well, them's the breaks, I suppose. At the very least I'm not too far beyond my deadline...right?

(1) Brownie points for people who can recognize the style :p I couldn't resist giving it to Terra.

(2) Think of the androids used for training in the JLU animated series.

**Omake:**

"Wasn't going for speed," came the confident reply as she grinned at Cyborg. She was immediately rushed by Beastboy who looked simply flabbergasted yet far from speechless.

"Wow, Terra! That was amazing! Your flames of youth burned so brightly!" he cried, tears of joy running down his face as he embraced the girl. "You make the green beast of Jump City proud!"

"Beastboy!"

"Terra!"

"Beastboy!"

"Terra!"

Raven felt the sudden urge to kill the pair as a giant wave crashed behind them, the fine mist of water causing a rainbow in the setting sun which only served to give her a bad case of nausea. She found Raziel looking at her strangely which she could only glare to in response.

"Don't even try it."

**Omake2:**

At Terra's comment, Raven idly noticed that even though Raziel's face was half-hidden by his scarf there was a trace of pink on his pale skin. Did that mean...

"We're going to have to split up. One drill was bad enough but three can do serious damage wherever Slade sends them," Robin interrupted, much to Raven's relief as she didn't want to complete that train of thought. "Raven, Terra, you're with me. We're going to have to tunnel down to Slade's base and stop him from there. Cyborg, take the rest of the team with you. You'll need every bit of firepower to stop those drills or at the very least slow them down until we can stop whatever's controlling them."

"Got it, Rob. Titans, let's go! That means you've got to let go of Raven, Raz."

Seeing that Cyborg's team had headed on after the drills, Robin turned to face his own team. "All right, the path is 30-degrees down and..." If he was in a western flick, there would have been tumbleweeds, well, tumbling in the wind as Robin found himself all alone. "Uh...Raven? Terra?" When no response came, he dropped to the floor in depression, idly tracing his finger in the ground as a dark cloud seemed to hover over him. "Nobody listens to me anymore..."

"That's not true. Hyuk hyuk hyuk! I'll listen to you!"

The cloud almost immediately lifted off his head as he turned to face his team. They still loved him! They came back! And...when did Raven ever 'hyuk' before?"

Robin froze as he came face to face with the creature from the abyss. Those evil eyes, those huge teeth and unearthly skin that made lesser men die of fright. He wasn't afraid. He wouldn't run away. He wouldn't run away.

"I love you! You love me!"

"IYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH"

T-T-T

"Hey Raven, did you hear something?" Terra asks as she continued to blast her way through solid rock.

"Hmm...It sounded like someone's masculinity briefly cried out in terror and was immediately silenced."

"Ah. Just making sure."

Yep, just another day in Jump City.

**Omake3**:

"Umm...this isn't the way to the kitchen." Terra asks shyly, ignoring the rumblings in her tummy as she and Raven walked down the halls of the tower.

"You're right. It isn't," she answers vaguely.

"Oh yes, friend Terra. We are most certainly not headed there yet!"

"Wha! Starfire? When did...? How...?" Terra couldn't believe how the Tamaranian had been able to sneak up on her. She shouldn't have been able to do that.

"I simply wished to join you for your surprise," came yet another enigmatic reply.

"Surprise? What are you talking about? And why are we stopping here?"

Smirking, Raven pushed a button which opened the door of the room they had stopped at. "This is your room now," she answered.

"Oh wow...does this mean..." Terra was speechless as she entered her room. 'Her room.' Two words that never sounded so sweet.

"Yes, friend Terra! You are now a Teen Titan!" Starfire cheered, grabbing both Terra and Raven in a group hug. "We are now sisters in battle!"

"That's...great..." Terra manages to wheeze. Her joy was short-lived as the door to the room suddenly shut along with the drapes on the windows. "Hey! What's going on?"

Raven tried to open the doors but they failed to budge. "The doors have been hacked. We're locked in."

"Then we shall simply have to..." Before Starfire could complete her sentence, three flying 'X's slapped over her mouth, body, and legs. Unable to maintain her balance, she collapsed on the floor with a muffled 'eep.'

Raven and Terra moved to help the fallen girl but suddenly found themselves bound with black bands of energy. They tried to use their powers to break free but to their shock they found them neutralized.

"Ah ah ah, we can't have any of that now, can we?" a taunting voice called out from the shadows.

Turning to face the intruder, what they saw shocked them. Standing tall and proud was Raziel, no longer wearing his Titans costume, having instead exchanged it for a black leather outfit (A/N: think Alucard when he was first awakened by Integra). His face was upturned in an evil grin as he eyed the three girls before him.

"Raziel! What the hell do you think..." Raven shivered as Raziel suddenly appeared before her, running a gloved hand along her nape.

"Hell...yes...because of you three, I have seen hell!" _'And heaven, when I think about it,'_ he thought silently to himself. "I do believe you left something of yours the last time you were here."

Seeing the hand cuffs, cat o' nine tails, and other paraphernalia that suddenly appeared out of the shadows, the three girls' eyes widened as one by one they realized what he was talking about and gave a collective shudder.

"_Releasing Control Art Restriction Systems three...two...one, approval of Situation A recognized. Commencing the Cromwell invocation. Ability restrictions lifted for limited use until the enemy has been rendered silent."_

No one heard them scream (not that they minded, really).

T-T-T

"So...anyone know why Raz said we need to soundproof Terra's room?"

Beastboy looked up briefly from his mountain of Agedashi Tofu and shrugged. Raziel gave him a week's supply of the stuff so he didn't really care what it was for. "Mmmm...Tofuuuuu…"

T-T-T

Jinx shot out of bed with a start, her nightgown plastered to her body as she was drenched in sweat. Why the hell did she keep getting feelings like she was missing out on something? This time it had caused her to wake up in the middle of the night. If ever she found out who was causing it, she would flay the person alive.

"..."

After she took a shower...a really cold shower.


End file.
